Ferdinand has already dismissed ‘ideal’ Man Utd appointment and Newcastle ‘frontrunner’ with £50m drivel

Man Utd have an ‘ideal candidate’ for a head of recruitment role who just so happens to be a Newcastle DOF ‘frontrunner’. Rio Ferdinand must be confused.

Not many of Rio Ferdinand’s opinions should be taken particularly seriously. The man once told disgruntled Newcastle supporters to “round your money up and take over the club” from Mike Ashley, despite seemingly never suggesting Man Utd fans do the same to remove the “disgraceful” Glazers. He did, however, reveal last June through his sources that “the Qatari bid is the one that has been accepted” for the Old Trafford club, adding a “hallelujah” and “please let this happen” for good measure. He also recently showed how difficult Sir Alex Ferguson’s former disciples find their new reality by saying some daft things about Mikel Arteta.

But for as long as he has a lofty platform, some apparent influence and a headline-worthy name, Ferdinand’s views will always be heard. And some months ago he used that rare privilege, that imposing status, to boil the solid sporting director credentials of Dougie Freedman down to: ‘But he works for Crystal Palace!’

It is a “left-field” shout. That much is fair. There are more recognisable and prominent candidates to target for this ambitious and far-reaching backroom restructure, with higher-profile bodies of work and louder voices singing their praises. Man Utd would be foolish not to consider them. But it was myopic, insular and arrogant to dismiss Freedman entirely.

READ MORE: Man Utd to make ‘official approach this week’ for Ratcliffe’s top recruitment target

Ferdinand gave the 49-year-old what he might consider to be his due, citing the signings of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi across six years in charge of transfers during the most sustained period of relative success in Crystal Palace’s entire history as ones where “you go ‘yeah ok'”.

But that is to ignore the usually excellent Joachim Andersen, the wonderful but injured Cheick Doucoure and the phenomenal Adam Wharton who, combined with the aforementioned three, give Palace six assets signed for around £106m, who they could feasibly sell for at least £50m each; Manchester United genuinely do not have as many players that prospective buyers would be willing to pay such sums for, no matter how much they are kidding themselves over Antony.

That is to disregard phenomenal cost-effective business like bringing in superb Premier League goalkeepers Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone for nothing, winning the race to loan Conor Gallagher or spending £2m on six consistent years and counting of Jordan Ayew.

That is to neglect the extraction of £50m – from a club whose names escapes us – for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, to dismiss the ability to build and maintain competitive squads on one of the top-flight’s lowest net spends, regularly identifying and attracting gems in the Championship.

That is to completely change one’s mind from last January, when Ferdinand himself told the Crystal Palace website how much he admired “the profile of players here” and the “blending of youth and experience”, before praising the “great work” done by former manager Patrick Vieira and “his recruitment team”.

It is to sum up precisely the sort of hubris, self-importance and narrow-mindedness which both symbolises Manchester United’s lamentable, aimless post-Ferguson era and keeps bringing them back to pray at his altar for advice.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly sought the ‘guidance’ of Ferguson since the confirmation of his takeover and the large-looming spectre is thought to have extolled the virtues of ‘long-term ally’ and former neighbour Freedman when it comes to a recruitment role.

At some point Man Utd will have to stop asking Ferguson to recommend his favourite Scottish people to help drag them out of this mess; it is an unsustainable business model for a variety of reasons.

But beyond that, Freedman’s credentials deserve more than disdain and condescension. They warrant proper analysis, consideration and respect. He is a damn sight more qualified than anyone Man Utd have placed their considerable stock in recently, not to mention Ferdinand’s own “f**king unbelievable” tip for the role, which along with his sycophantic cheerleading of The Cristiano Ronaldo Return undermines pretty much anything he says about sporting directors.

Newcastle identifying Freedman as the ‘frontrunner’ for the Director of Football role Dan Ashworth is expected to vacate once his path to Man Utd has been smoothed over is further compelling proof of a deserved reputation crafted over many years. This is precisely the sort of figure both clubs should be fighting over.

Man Utd are really not above plucking the best employees from a club they are closer to points-wise than they are to any of the top three. Certainly not if they have been as quietly impressive at their job as Freedman. Ferdinand’s refusal to accept that is part of the problem; Ratcliffe at least contemplating embracing it suggests he could form part of the solution.