Rio Ferdinand has fired a transfer warning to Manchester United over Jude Bellingham - with the former United defender admitting that it doesn't matter who the club sign right now after devastating Champions League exit.
A solitary strike from Renan Lodi was enough to condemn United to yet another early exit from Europe's premier competition. And it leaves Ralf Rangnick's men facing up to the fact that their season is effectively over after they were dumped out of the FA Cup last month.
While the focus will now shift onto trying to pinch a top-four finish to salvage the current campaign, all eyes will be on the Old Trafford hierarchy ahead of a monumental summer. United are bidding to appoint an elite manager and strengthen their playing squad for a tilt at the Premier League title - and with it looking increasingly likely that United will miss out on Champions League football, the Red Devils could struggle to lure their primary targets to Manchester.
Whoever does get the nod to succeed Rangnick on a permanent basis has an almighty task on their hands, with both Ferdinand and Paul Scholes admitting that United are still "years away" from being in a position to challenge for titles.
And while the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, and more recently Thomas Tuchel, have all been linked with the top job at Old Trafford, it's becoming abundantly clear that the rebuilding job at United is far greater than previously imagined.
But while Owen Hargreaves did his best to talk up Bellingham as the man to help drive United forward, Ferdinand was adamant that the current turmoil at Old Trafford will transcend any signings. And his comments could even act as a warning to Bellingham - who may not be keen on joining United with the state that the club is in right now.
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"I don't necessarily think it's about who you sign, though," he told BT Sport. "I was screaming at the start of the season 'oh we've got [Cristiano] Ronaldo, we've got [Raphael] Varane now'. Big players.
"If the culture at the football club isn't right, it doesn't matter who you bring in. You need a manager that can guide the ship, and United don't have that at the moment. We've seen it enough this season, people walking away from this stadium or anywhere they've played saying 'I didn't get enough out of X, Y or Z player in that game'."
Bellingham has reportedly been earmarked by United as a long-term solution to the midfield woes that have plagued them over the past couple of years. United did try to snap up the talented teenager back when he departed Birmingham City in 2020 - only for Borussia Dortmund to pip them to a £25million deal.
But that hasn't dampened United's interest - and the 18-year-old has flourished over the past 18 months in Germany. Bellingham has bagged six goals and 12 assists across 35 appearances this season and has shone in the Champions League.
If United's new manager does take a fancy to Bellingham, then it's likely that United would have to shell out a club-record fee to prise the majestic playmaker away from Dortmund after just two years in the Bundesliga.
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