Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he told his former club Manchester United to sign Declan Rice “at all costs” before Arsenal landed him from West Ham.
Rice made 245 appearances for the Hammers before Arsenal secured his signing for £100m despite a late hijack attempt by Manchester City.
Both Chelsea and United had been heavily linked with the England international before the summer of 2023, when the Red Devils instead spent around £200m on Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana.
None of that trio have lived up to expectations at Old Trafford and Ferdinand would much rather his former side had signed Rice, revealing they ignored his advice before the Gunners got the deal done.
“Declan Rice didn’t make a choice [between Manchester United and Arsenal,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. “Man United didn’t bid for him.
“United f****d that s*** up. They f****d that one up because I wanted Declan and I advised a couple of people there to get Declan at all costs.
“And they didn’t even bid. They didn’t even bid. He’s the man, I love him. I would have taken him.”
Rice has cemented his standing as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since joining Arsenal, helping them to second last season and likely again this term, with Champions League glory remaining a possibility with the first leg of their quarter-final against Real Madrid to come on Tuesday.
United’s season stands in stark contrast, with Ruben Amorim’s side sitting 13th in the Premier League having lost 13 of their 31 games this season.
And although they too still have hope of silverware as they face Lyon in the Europa League quarter-final, Amorim wants a squad overhaul in this summer in a bid to have a squad at his disposal better suited to his philosophy and system.
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A striker is thought to be high on his list of priorities having been unconvinced by both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, and Ferdinand insists the Red Devils should be targeting Victor Osimhen, who’s currently on loan from Napoli at Galatasaray and available for a permanent transfer this summer.
Ferdinand added: “We need Osimhen. We need experience. We need someone who knows how to score. We need someone who can come and show these young strikers at Manchester United how to do it.
“If I’m Man United, I’m making it happen. I want someone who knows their way around the football pitch at the elite level, and knows how to score at the elite level consistently. Osimhen’s done that.
“I want the here and now. Yes, Osimhen hasn’t played in the Premier League, but I don’t care.”
