Manchester United are about to kick off their summer transfers by signing a player Rio Ferdinand says he wanted at the club two or three years ago.
Having solidified third place and Champions League football for next season, Man Utd can afford to be adventurous in the market.
That means early signings and marquee names, along with adding depth, especially to midfield.
Rio Ferdinand has now said that United are finally going after a player he has wanted to see at Old Trafford for a while now.
What are your thoughts on Ederson being linked to Man Utd? Is he what we need?
Rio Ferdinand backs Ederson signing
Of all the players linked to United, of which there are plenty, Ederson has picked up the pace and run away as the most concrete one.
With his Atalanta contract expiring in 2027 and him not wanting to go anywhere else except United, the club have a free run at him.
United are close to signing Ederson to kick off their transfer window, and Ferdinand has been a big fan of the player for a while now.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said, “You’re talking about Ederson, whom I mentioned about two or three years ago from Atalanta. Should have got him then. Good player. Good footballer.”
The circumstances back then were not ideal for United, as Erik ten Hag wanted a different type of player, while Ruben Amorim prioritised adding to the attack first.
Moreover, there are question marks over Ederson’s quality, so spending a king’s ransom on him was never a good move.
Having waited out his contract, it is smart business to sign him for a cheaper fee now and see him play out the peak years of his career at Old Trafford.
Most importantly, he is being seen as a rotational option, so neither his fee nor his wages will be very high, making it the perfect sensible signing from United’s perspective.
Ederson will be the tip of the iceberg at Man Utd
Ederson’s signing is acceptable for Man Utd fans only if he’s the tip of the iceberg instead of the whole meal.
Pick your DREAM summer midfield rebuild within the reported budgets…
Who is the first name you want?
United can’t have a window as they did once under the Glazers, when the likes of Amad and Facundo Pellistri were shown off as first-team signings after striking out on actual transfer targets.
Ederson is much better than those two were at that point, but the point remains that Ederson is a depth signing, with marquee ones still to come.
As long as that is the case – and Ineos have earned enough trust for that to be presumed true – then the Brazilian is the perfect squad player for Michael Carrick.
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