Rio Ferdinand has warned Manchester United that signing Declan Rice alone won’t be enough to solve the problems at Old Trafford.
The West Ham midfielder is of interest United as improvements to the midfield are targeted in 2022.
Rice impressed at the weekend as his Hammers side narrowly missed out on claiming a point against United, his performance increasing the calls from supporters for United to go all out and sign the England international.
The 23-year-old though would come at a hefty price, with West Ham reportedly looking for a fee in excess of £100million for their prize possession. David Moyes has repeatedly said that Rice isn't for sale.
And Ferdinand has warned his former club that signing Rice wouldn't be enough in itself, and that United are still in desperate need of an identity.
“I don’t think it matters what individuals Man United bring in,” Ferdinand told Vibe With Five.
“It’s been proven over a long period of time now that you can bring in your superstars and think this is a saving grace etc.
“It’s about the way the team is built, and the way the tactics are implemented. I think you need a style of football, you need tactics put in place, and an identity put in place, which we’ve been calling for for ages, that the players can all identify with, and then you go forward with it.
“Until that point, it’s just playing off the cuff, you’re just thinking ‘oh he’s going to win you a game’.
“Bruno’s done it for the last couple of years, when Bruno shows up and produces a moment it’s ‘oh we’ve won the game’. That’s not down to tactics, it wasn’t down to structure, it wasn’t down to an identity or philosophy, it was down to individual brilliance.
“The best teams on the planet don’t win things through individuals. They win it because the team plays the best, but they might have an individual within that able to produce the magic here or there.
“Until that system is put in place, I don’t care who we sign.”
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