Man Utd: Ferdinand claims £38.5m ‘disappointment’ is ‘not the answer’ as he reveals ‘uncertainty’

Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Manchester United for signing Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, as the Netherlands international is “not the answer”.

Man Utd have been active in the transfer market this summer as around £90m has been invested to sign Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro from Bologna and Lille respectively.

“It’s a big ask for him…”

The Red Devils are also closing in on signing Bayern Munich pair De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for around £52m plus add-ons.

They turned their attention to signing De Ligt after Premier League rivals Everton priced Jarrad Branthwaite out of a move to Old Trafford.

The Dutchman will cost Man Utd an initial £38.5m, with an additional £4.3m included in the deal as potential add-ons.

De Ligt emerged as one of the best young defenders in the world at Ajax while working with Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag, but he’s coming off disappointing spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Ferdinand is concerned about Man Utd signing De Ligt as the 24-year-old has been a “disappointment” since leaving Ajax.

“Mazraoui will play right-back because Wan-Bissaka will be sold. I think that’s a good deal all round. I still think [Diogo] Dalot plays ahead of him,” Ferdinand told Rio Reacts.

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“But with De Ligt… I watched him at Ajax; he was brilliant that year when they got to the semi-final with ten Hag before being beaten by Spurs. He was commanding, everything you wanted in a defender, composed.

“Then he goes to Juventus, you look at that and think, great move. A defender going to learn from the likes of [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini and all them guys. But it just fills me with disappointment with the way his career has gone since then.

“I think he had 16 starts last season. Lot of injuries, doesn’t start many games in the last two or three years, and Manchester United are spending 45-50 million pounds on him. That’s another two teams who he was a sub for, a backup defender.”

Ferdinand claims De Ligt is “not the answer” for Man Utd as he could quickly find himself out of the starting XI.

“I think it’s a big ask for him. Big pressure. Big opportunity, but there is a lot of uncertainty over him after his time with Juventus and Bayern Munich,” Ferdinand added.

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“I don’t think he’s the answer. But it’s a great opportunity for him to go in there and be like, ‘You know what guys, I’m going to rectify my last few seasons and show you the real me’.

“Ten Hag knows him, the character, the person, and I hope he does a good job but I am going to reserve judgement on this one.

“If Yoro and Martinez are both fit they both start No one else gets a look in. but Yoro is now out for three months. Is de Ligt fit right now to play? Eric Dier was starting in front of him and he was surplus to requirements at Spurs. That tells you a lot. This isn’t a signing that makes me go ‘wow’. Hopefully, ten Hag gets the best out of him.”