Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United to sign Declan Rice ahead of Rennes star Eduardo Camavinga this summer.
Reports last week emerged that the Red devils have made an approach to the 18-year-old midfielder.
Solskjaer is also understood to be a huge admirer of Rice, but West Ham want to keep the midfielder and are demanding a £90m fee for the player, who is also on Chelsea’s shortlist.
And Ferdinand believes Rice’s performances for England at the Euros has shown why he would be the right signing to improve United’s midfield.
When asked about United’s move to sign Camavinga, Ferdinand told Vibe with FIVE: ‘I’ve not seen enough of him, if I’m honest.
‘I saw his game against Paris Saint-Germain when he got man of the match… unreal.
‘He’s got talent, obviously, is he going to come in and affect the team right now and become a star? Or is he going to be like Amad? Who comes in, [costs] £40 million but is nowhere near the starting XI at the moment. Is that what we need?
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‘Or do we need someone like Declan Rice who is flying at the moment, who in an England shirt has taken it to other levels now. We all knew he was a good player at West Ham, but what Declan Rice is doing in the England team right now, for his age, is a madness.
‘Then it comes down to have Man United got the funds to go and get him from West Ham? What are West Ham going to ask for?
‘For me, I’ve got to be honest, football ability Camavinga and Rice are fantastic players, you can see the potential a mile off.
‘But Rice brings you character. He brings you a character that’s probably not in the game as much now as it was in my generation. Someone who is a sponge with information, wants to get better, wants to get in to an environment where he has a chance of winning constantly, he’s envious of his mates who win at other clubs, he reminds me a little bit of myself at his age, you want to get there and get in to an environment where you can go and win, whether that’s Man United, he probably thinks West Ham at the moment, as well as he’s done there and as much as he loves the club and the people there, especially after a Euros, I did it after a World Cup with Leeds, I’ve smelt and tasted that chance of being around world-class players, I needed that every week.
‘Again, the character, you can’t undervalue what character is – Jordan Henderson has it at Liverpool. Some people will say, ‘oh he’s not as good as him or as good as him’, but a lot of those ‘as good as him’ people don’t have that character to drive a dressing room. And I think Rice could grow into that.’
