Rio Ferdinand wanted West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice at Manchester United

Speaking on Vibe with Five (h/t Metro), former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand insists that Manchester United should have landed West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice in the 2023 summer transfer window.

Earlier, Rice seemed to strongly suggest his interest in joining United when he praised Old Trafford as one of his preferred stadiums. However, he ultimately chose to stay in London and sign with the Gunners.

After the United vs Chelsea, game Ferdinand told Vibe with Five that:

“Declan Rice, I said it before Man Utd he was the player I would’ve 100% gone and go.”

At Man United, Casemiro has proven to be an excellent addition but injuries have limited his presence this season. Regrettably, it appears that we are currently lacking depth in the defensive midfield position. Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat both offer us numbers but their long term futures at Old Trafford remain uncertain.

Rice would have given us a solid presence in the middle of the park while also adding leadership to the role. Arsenal have benefitted from our loss as the midfielder scored the winner against Luton Town to send the Gunners top of the Premier League standings earlier this week.

Rice possesses a complete set of skills. He is widely regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders in the game, and his versatility shines when he takes on the role of a number eight. This 24-year-old player displays exceptional ball control, excels in one-on-one situations, and has proven his ability to score crucial goals.

Against Luton Town, Rice has demonstrated his ability to come through in clutch moments. He secured victories against Manchester United and Luton Town with late goals, and played a crucial role in Arsenal’s comeback against Chelsea, helping them salvage a 2-2 draw after being down 2-0.

Surely we could have used a player of such talents. As things stand, Ferdinand is right in assessing that we blundered by not going all out to land the English international star.

More Manchester United News-

• Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag emphasised the resiliency of his players, staying true to his “plan” against Chelsea
• Manchester United and Barcelona are considering a swap exchange between Marcus Rashford and Raphinha during the January transfer window
• Manchester United icon Dwight Yorke highlights the club’s missed opportunity in not signing Erling Haaland during Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s reign

Manchester United fans and surely Ferdinand would have been thrilled to have Rice at Old Trafford, but unfortunately, that opportunity has now passed. The onus is on us now to not lose out on any other opportunities in the transfer windows to come.