Rio Ferdinand suggests that only three signings made by Manchester United have truly proven themselves successful over the past decade.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquiring a 27.7 percent stake in the club, there has been a push to revamp United’s recruitment strategies.
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Criticism has been directed towards the club’s past dealings under figures like Ed Woodward, particularly regarding high transfer fees and player performances.
Jason Wilcox, a former player for Blackburn and Leeds United, has taken on the role of technical director as part of this restructuring effort. Meanwhile, United has been actively pursuing the recruitment of Dan Ashworth from Newcastle to serve as sporting director.
INEOS, under the guidance of Dave Brailsford, may also contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the recruitment process.
Despite significant spending in pursuit of success, the club has struggled to make the most of their financial resources. Transfers for players like Jadon Sancho and Antony have faced widespread criticism. Ferdinand believes that these disappointments are not isolated incidents.
According to Ferdinand, only Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic stand out as top-tier signings who truly delivered upon their arrival at Manchester United.
In an interview with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman on The Sports Agents podcast, Ferdinand said: “When you look at the recruitment, I think there’s only three players that I can remember coming in and then going, ‘Okay, they’ve played at a level that you would have expected.’
“Bruno [Fernandes], Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]. The only three players I though that you go actually I saw consistently what I expected to see from them.
“Everyone else just fell well short. For whatever reason it is, they just haven’t hit a standard you expect them to come in for. There’s no value in them in what you expect. So they have to get to the bottom of that.”
New Man United co-owner Ratcliffe would appear to agree with Ferdinand’s assessment. Speaking this year the INEOS founder set out his stall on transfer plans.
“They have done that, if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players,” said Ratcliffe. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club. And make sure we get recruitment right; it is such a vital part of football today.”
