Rio Ferdinand has told Manchester United they must be in the mix to sign Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe this summer.
The former United man has lauded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the improvements he's made since taking charge at Old Trafford, but believes the Norwegian has to sign a superstar striker to take his side to the next level.
Solskjaer has a good relationship with fellow countryman Haaland, who is currently plying his trade in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, having managed him at Molde. United tried to sign him before he went from RB Salzburg to Germany but pulled out due to agent fees.
Mbappe is winning plaudits at Paris Saint-Germain, but United could find it difficult to sign either player given their superstar status and likely inflated transfer fees.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand told United they have improved — but wants Solskjaer's side to compete for the biggest and best signings this summer.
"Manchester United were playing catch up from everybody last season," Ferdinand said. "They finished 30 points behind Liverpool last season, now they’re above them.
"That’s a big, big achievement in that sense. I see progress. I still see room for improvement, we definitely need to buy a centre-back, a commanding centre back with pace."
Ferdinand then praised the short-term addition of Edinson Cavani but wants an even better player to lead the line and help the likes of Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.
He added: "Cavani, yes, he’s a good stopgap but [United need] a centre forward.
"If people like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe are available, you can’t allow them to go somewhere else and you need to move heaven and earth to get them here.
"United are used to having superstars and those boys would change the narrative at this football club, that’s how good they are.
"There’s room for improvement and opportunity to improve this squad, there’s players out there available, it seems. We need to be in the mix."
