“Type of player Sir Alex Ferguson would have jumped all over” – Kevin Campbell claims former Manchester United manager would have signed midfielder last summer

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell claimed Declan Rice is the sort of player former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson "would have jumped at."

The West Ham United midfielder has improved his game by leaps and bounds this season, especially in the attacking half. Under David Moyes, he has shown a consistent urge to run at defenders and regularly makes offensive runs whilst safeguarding his defense. Rice has scored thrice and has four assists in 27 appearances this season and has been backed to further improve.

In fact, his captain Mark Noble recently likened the 23-year-old to the likes of legends Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. Moyes recently claimed that the midfielder was easily worth more than £100 million, which might as well be a reaction to the continued interest.

However, speaking to Football Insider's Dylan Childs, Campbell agreed with Moyes' evaluation and said:

“I agree with Moyes. This season he has been nothing short of incredible. He has been absolutely incredible. In a time where lots of England players have struggled after the Euros, he has been outstanding. He is just getting better and better."

He added:

“Given his age, he could boss a Manchester United midfield for the next 10 years. Rice is the type of player Sir Alex Ferguson would have jumped all over. He would have had him last summer, let alone this summer. Obviously things have changed at Manchester United though.”

Manchester United's options for a defensive midfielder in the summer

Manchester United are largely expected to sign Declan Rice in the summer. The club have bided their time and did not move to sign a midfielder in January despite having options. The Red Devils reportedly turned down a move for Amadou Haidara and decided to hold off signing Boubacar Kamara on a bargain as well.

The above two options are probably not their first choice. But the extent of the uncertainty surrounding multiple players could've tempted the club to sign two defensive-minded midfielders in successive windows.

Donny van de Beek left on loan to Everton in the January transfer window. Paul Pogba is out of contract this summer while most fans are apprehensive about Fred.

Of course, another acceptable solution might be simply promoting James Garner to the first team and signing only Rice. The 20-year-old has been very impressive for Nottingham Forest on loan and might as well find himself breaking into the first team next campaign.

However, Rice is the ideal signing and he is only going to improve in the coming time and is already world-class.

Another potential option that Manchester United can look into if negotiations fail with Rice is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Rubin Neves. Apart from United, Chelsea and Manchester City are also reportedly interested in signing Rice.