Manchester United advised on the must-have quality to consider before signing players - report

Rio Ferdinand has highlighted one key quality Manchester United must prioritise when signing players in future transfer windows.

United are in desperate need of reinforcements to avoid further struggles.

They suffered their third consecutive league home defeat on Monday, losing to Newcastle United, and have now been defeated in four of their last five league games.

The threat of relegation looms larger than the risk of missing out on Champions League qualification. United are just six points clear of the relegation zone and 13 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

United must support manager Ruben Amorim by recruiting quality players, starting with the next transfer window.

They signed Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui last summer. None of them, apart from Mazraoui, has made a significant impact.

This underscores the need for United to be more strategic in future transfer windows. Ferdinand has offered advice on what the club should prioritise when scouting new players.

The former centre-back insists that United must focus on signing players with physical attributes to compete effectively with other teams.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, he said: “When we start to go and recruit, we need players that can physically compete. I have said this for months.

“Our team is physically miles off the best teams in the league and the best teams in Europe.

“We are miles off anybody physically through the spine of our three centre-backs. Without Yoro playing, none of them can run. None of them can move.

“Being agile and being able to get around the mark is their worst trait.”

Man United need more physically imposing players

The Premier League is one of the most physical leagues in the world, and every team must meet the physical demands to stay competitive.

United currently lack this attribute in abundance. They need players who can impose themselves physically and intimidate opponents.

Table-topping Liverpool have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as their first-choice centre-back pairing – two players who can easily dominate opponents.

Arsenal have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who are among the most physical defenders in the league.

The same cannot be said of United. Joelinton easily outmuscled Lisandro Martinez to score Newcastle’s second goal yesterday. Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo were frequently bullied off the ball.

While physicality is by no means the only factor to consider when signing players, it is a crucial requirement for any team competing in the English top flight.

United must take this into account when recruiting players in future transfer windows to bridge the gap with the league’s best teams.

Stats from sofascore.com.

Article written by Henry Thornton .