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