‘Man Utd must move heaven and earth to sign Mbappe or Haaland’

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has urged the club to do all they can to sign either Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have improved since last season and are currently second in the league, albeit some way adrift of Manchester City, but there a general feeling they are missing that world-class number nine to take them to the next level.

Edinson Cavani has came in on a free transfer and impressed, but at 34-years-old he is not a long-term solution, while Anthony Martial has again been in and out of the team.

Ferdinand initially addressed the improvements he has seen from Man Utd this campaign, as they are now above Liverpool having previously been way off the pace of the champions least year.

“Manchester United were playing catch up from everybody last season,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube channel.

“They finished 30 points behind Liverpool last season, now they’re above them.

“That’s a big, big achievement in that sense. We were not sitting there last season thinking Manchester United would win the league this season or be up there.

“Four or five weeks ago we were saying that, so I see that as a massive step in the right direction. Is this team in a better position than they were last season? Yes they are. Is there still work to do? Yes there is. But I see progress.”

Mbappe or Haaland – a priority

Looking ahead to the summer transfer window, Ferdinand goes on to identify the acquisition of either Mbappe or Haaland as a major priority for Man Utd, not only to sign terrific players but also to keep the pair out of the clutches of their rivals.

“I think [Edinson] Cavani, yes, he’s a good stopgap but [we need] a centre forward.” Ferdinand suggested.

“If people like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe are available, you can’t allow them to go somewhere else and you need to move heaven and earth to get them here.

“Manchester United are used to having superstars and those boys would change the narrative at this football club, that’s how good they are.

“There’s room for improvement and opportunity to improve this squad, there’s players out there available, it seems. We need to be in the mix.”

A couple of weeks ago, Mbappe and Haaland lit up the Champions League with a pair of dazzling performances.

Mbappe scored a hat-trick against Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain, putting the Ligue 1 champions in a superb position to qualify for the last eight in the process, while Haaland bagged two goals versus Sevilla the next night for Borussia Dortmund.

The two showings catalysed debate about whether the pair could be the rivalry to rule the game for the next decade now that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are beginning to wind down in their careers.