Rio Ferdinand: 'Manchester United should move for John McGinn, Declan Rice'

Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has said that the Red Devils should move for Aston Villa's John McGinn and West Ham United's Declan Rice during this summer's transfer window.

The 20-time English champions are expected to be in the market for at least one new midfielder ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, with Paul Pogba set to leave on a free transfer.

McGinn and Rice have both been strongly linked with moves to Old Trafford in recent weeks, and Ferdinand has said that the pair would be ideal signings for his former club.

"Yeah, massively. I think you're getting two good characters. I think character is one of the main elements that we need – obviously you look for a certain amount of class and quality in the players," Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube channel.

"But I think you need to build the right characters within this squad going forward if you're going to improve – get the culture right at the football club and you need players to drive that, so if you're buying and are in the recruitment team this year, I think that's a big element that needs to be addressed.

"I think some would say, "oh John McGinn not a sexy enough signing", but I think he's a very good player and by all accounts a very good lad, a great professional, not afraid to say what he wants to say to people to get the best out of them.

"He'd be good in that element and on the pitch I think he would be good enough. Is he going to elevate us to being Champions League and Premier League winners? Probably not based on just ability, but I think character stands for a lot in this game.

"Declan Rice, I've said enough about him. I love this player, I love this guy. If you're one of the top teams, you want to build a team around him."

Man United are allegedly prepared to spend big during this summer's transfer window even if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.