Rio Ferdinand reveals he told Man Utd to sign Arsenal star ‘at all costs’ | Football

Rio Ferdinand has revealed he advised insiders at Manchester United to sign Declan Rice ‘at all costs’ before he moved to Arsenal.

Arsenal spent a club-record £105m to sign England midfielder Rice from Premier League rivals West Ham in 2023.

Rice captained West Ham to the Europa Conference League in his final season in east London and has enjoyed two consistent seasons since moving to the Emirates Stadium.

Ferdinand has hailed Rice as ‘the man’ and revealed he told people inside Old Trafford to secure his signature before Arsenal struck a deal.

Manchester City tried to hijack Arsenal’s move for Rice but United were not involved in the transfer battle despite being heavily and repeatedly linked with a move.

‘Declan Rice didn’t make a choice [between Manchester United and Arsenal,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. ‘Man United didn’t bid for him.

‘United f****d that s*** up. They f****d that one up because I wanted Declan and I advised a couple of people there to get Declan at all costs.

‘And they didn’t even bid. They didn’t even bid. He’s the man, I love him. I would have taken him.’

Rice, 26, played over 50 games for Arsenal last season and is set for a similar tally this term as a key player for Mikel Arteta.

The midfielder has also developed into one of England’s most important players, helping the Three Lions reach back-to-back European Championship finals.

Last month, ex-Premier League boss Neil Warnock said he was surprised Manchester United did not sign Rice.

‘I thought Man United should sign Declan Rice before he went to Arsenal,’ he said on The Seaman Says podcast with Betway.

‘And I thought, spend a good amount of money on a good player, instead of buying three or four rubbish.

‘When you look at Declan, you look at how he plays, it’s not a gamble, is it? He might have a bad game here and there, but it’s not a gamble.’

Despite Rice’s impressive form for club and country, the midfielder recently attracted criticism from Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.

‘Declan Rice, I’m not disappointed by him, but I don’t really know what he is anymore,’ he said.

‘Is he the holding midfielder? I’ve heard Gary Neville say he should be getting forward and scoring goals. I’ve never seen him that way.

‘I think he’s almost got a bit stuck in not really knowing what he is and Mikel Arteta not knowing what he is.’

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