The glory days of Manchester United are in the past, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be desperate to turn his club into a European giant once again.
2013 was the year when the Red Devils last won the Premier League, with the last decade being filled with disappointment and frustration.
However, just like throughout the history of United, the current crop does have some quality players, but one position that’s not been quite as elite is at centre half.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what a Man United legend like Rio Ferdinand would have cost the club today.
What Rio Ferdinand cost Man United
In the summer of 2002, Ferdinand joined the Red Devils from rival Leeds United in a deal worth £30m, which at the time made him Britain’s most expensive player.
The centre-half had the perfect start to life in Manchester bar an injury, winning the Premier League in his debut campaign at his new club.
However, his second season under Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t exactly plain sailing after being handed an eight-month ban due to missing a routine drug test.
Despite missing plenty of action, Ferdinand truly cemented himself as an excellent signing after his return, famously forming an unstoppable partnership with Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the United backline for years.
Remarkably, he is just one of three defenders to be inducted into the Premier League's half of fame alongside Vincent Kompany and Tony Adams. He is also one of a host of United players to feature on such a distinguished list which also includes manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
#1 David Beckham
#2 Roy Keane
#3 Eric Cantona
#4 Paul Scholes
#5 Wayne Rooney
#6 Rio Ferdinand
What Rio Ferdinand would have cost in 2024
In today’s market, it’s often difficult to find the right balance between the transfer fee and the quality of the player, with plenty of big deals turning into disasters and some even looking like bargains despite a huge fee. Just ask Man Utd's Antony.
Having a complete skillset is non-negotiable in modern-day football for almost all positions, but Ferdinand would have certainly ticked every box today, which makes it no surprise that he would have cost United £160m in today's market, according to financial experts Totally Money.
Ferdinand wasn’t just a “superb” defender, however, as dubbed by football creator Liam Canning, but he was particularly known for being a modern-day centre-back who was quick and quality on the ball, with former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson once labelling him “the most complete central defender” in the England squad.
However, to contextualise just how ahead of the times and impressive the 45-year-old was, former Arsenal legend Tony Adams called for the United icon to be fielded in midfield for his country due to his technical ability.
The former Gunners skipper once said: "For me, and I don't think he can do it at Man United at the moment, I'd love to see him in that holding midfield role. Rio can't do it at United because he's under too much pressure – they haven't got another two centre-halves – but he can do it for England. We've got Sol Campbell and John Terry, two fantastic defenders, behind him. Technically he's good. We need him in the team."
Paul Pogba
£90.5m
Antony
£82m
Harry Maguire
£75m
Jadon Sancho
£73m
Romelu Lukaku
£73m
As you can see, the number five would be by far the biggest signing by Man United if he joined in the modern day, more than doubling the fee it cost to bring Harry Maguire to the club from Leicester City.
However, Erik ten Hag’s team could do with the exact profile of Ferdinand, who would be the perfect partner for Lisandro Martinez, and it’s fair to say that if the former Red was on the market in 2024, the club would be eyeing him up this summer.
Over his 12 years at United, Ferdinand made 455 appearances for the Red Devils, winning 15 trophies in the process, including six Premier Leagues, which certainly proves that he was worth every single penny.
Market Movers
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