Manchester United must sign up at least four new players in January if team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to improve the chance of picking up more wins for the English club. The main objective for Solskjaer is to bolster the team in three key areas - set up successful attacks, improve the midfield, and put up a defensive wall.
These were the suggestions made by former United center-back Rio Ferdinand, who stressed that Solskjaer is on the right track with his blueprint of hiring mostly young players to beef up the United lineup.
To this, the former Red Devils defender named the duo of Fabian Ruiz and Agustin Almendra, from Napoli and Boca Juniors, respectively, as among his top picks considering that United could be soon saying goodbye to Paul Pogba.
In addition, Ferdinand proposed that United get a veteran that the young club roster can look up to, somebody in the mold of Edinson Cavani, who the Mirror said will be with an expiring contract at Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
"I would 100 percent go and get Edinson Cavani. Huge experience, goalscorer, work ethic, and great professional who the younger players in the squad would learn a lot from," Ferdinand was reported as saying.
Also on his shortlist is Kalidou Koulibaly, a teammate of Ruiz at Napoli and who has been previously rumored to be a target transfer by United. However, making a move on Koulibaly would mean United must be ready to spend as the Senegalese is likely to command a high purchase sale.
As for Ruiz and Almendra, United will surely gain "a technically gifted midfielder," with the former that Solskjaer can deploy on the pitch playing in attack mode or in defense. Almendra is sure to bring his brilliance and acumen whenever in play, the pundit said.
Ferdinand said that based on the last few games of United, which saw the team succumbing to Arsenal and drawing against the Wolves, the club's most pressing need is a player that can make things happen, specifically during difficult matches.
"At the moment in that team I don't see someone who's capable or actually willing to do that and take that chance," the United icon was reported by Metro as saying.
Ferdinand added that United's perceived hit-and-miss showing in the season can be attributed to the fact that is a young team in the middle of a transition. However, he admitted that the team has a semblance of a solid ground that is certainly commendable and a good start for further development.
