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It has been four years since Rio Ferdinand advised Manchester United to sign four players, back when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge. Following the Red Devils' 2-0 defeat against Arsenal in January 2020, the former England defender urged his former club to sign four players.
The four names suggested by the former Manchester United were Fabian Ruiz, Kalidou Koulibaly, Agustin Almendra and Edinson Cavani, as per The Mirror. Out of the four, only Cavani was snapped up by the 20-time English champions in the summer of 2020.
Fabian Ruiz was emerging as one of the best young midfielders in Europe at the time when Ferdinand wanted the Red Devils to sign him. He was then on the books of Napoli and is currently in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He joined the French giants in the summer of 2022 but has not been able to cement his place in the starting XI.
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Kalidou Koulibaly was regarded as one of the most feared defenders in Europe, but the Senegal international has also fallen from grace. He was also on Napoli's books and eventually moved to Chelsea. Following a disappointing season at Stamford Bridge, he is now at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
Agustin Almendra was regarded as a wonder kid emerging in Argentina with Boca Juniors back in 2019, but he has not developed into a household name yet. The midfielder made only 50 appearances for Boca Juniors prior to joining Racing on a free transfer.
Manchester United signed Edinson Cavani in 2020 on a free transfer, and he served the club well during his two-year spell at Old Trafford. He scored 17 times in 39 games in his first season but had limited opportunities next season following Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.
Liverpool star Van Dijk’s former teammate shares details of Manchester United rejecting the Dutchman
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk's former Southampton teammate Charlie Austin has claimed that Manchester United rejected the chance to sign the Dutchman. Liverpool eventually signed van Dijk in a £75 million deal in January 2018, but things could have been completely different.
According to Austin, Manchester United opted to sign Victor Lindelof instead of van Dijk. Austin told talkSPORT (via The Mirror):
“I remember the back end of his Southampton career we were on the bench together at Chelsea away. I sat there I said, ‘come on Virgil, what’s going on, surely Man United must’ve been in for you? Massive club in England, etc’. He said, ‘you know what Chaz, in the summer it was like between me or Lindelof and they signed Lindelof’."
The former Southampton striker added:
“I was like, ‘you are joking!’ Nobody knows that, he told me that on the bench. I couldn’t believe it, I was just as gobsmacked as you. Obviously there was talk in the summer he was going to go there then they’ve gone and taken Lindelof instead."
Van Dijk has been one of the best signings in Premier League history, playing a key role in Liverpool's success on all fronts. On the contrary, Lindelof has been quite average for Manchester United. The Sweden international has made 246 appearances across competitions for the Red Devils to date, winning just one League Cup.
