Ferdinand reveals two players who would make Man Utd title contenders

Robin Bairner

• 23 Feb 2023 07:47 GMT
• 3 min read

Signing a high-quality No.9 in the form of Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen would transform Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side into title contenders, Rio Ferdinand has said, revealing which striker his preference is.

The Red Devils lie third in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Arsenal having played a game more, while they are also still in the Europa League, with a second-leg encounter against Barcelona to come on Thursday.

Although Ten Hag’s men are well placed in both competitions, Ferdinand that Man Utd need an extra element in attack to elevate them to the level of the Gunners or Manchester City.

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Speaking to BT Sport, he was asked to pick between Kane and Osimhen in terms of who he would like to see his former club sign in the summer, with both players heavily linked with a potential switch to Old Trafford.

“If I’m talking about investing, I’d probably go for Osimhen because of his age. He’s got resale value at 24 years old,” Ferdinand said. “It’s going to be a huge outlay. I’d take either.

“If Man Utd add either of those two players you mentioned to their roster, they become title contenders.”

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Osimhen still not as good as Mbappe

Ferdinand was speaking after Osimhen had helped to give Napoli a 2-0 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the former Lille striker bundling in from close range.

It was his 20th goal of the season in just 24 appearances for a team excelling both in Serie A and Europe, but Ferdinand says that although his form has been extraordinary for 18 months, he is not an absolutely elite player yet.

“On form, he’s flying” Rio said. “You’ve got him and Marcus Rashford just now who are flying – on form. But if you’re talking about the best players in the world, the Mbappes of this world, they’re still levels above.”

Both Osimhen and Kane are expected to cost Man Utd well over €100 million should they make a summer transfer move.