Rio Ferdinand loves to see Barcelona defender at Manchester United

The Red Devils are expected to continue their search for a new centre-back.

Rio Ferdinand has named Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo as an ideal centre-back target for Manchester United.

The Red Devils were heavily linked with a move to sign Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo in the summer transfer window. But Harry Maguire’s collapsed move to West Ham forced them to go into the new season without signing a new centre-back.

Given the injury issues in United’s backline, the club are expected to monitor the market for new defenders ahead of the next summer.

Speaking to MEN, Ferdinand said: “The Uruguayan boy at Barcelona – Araujo. Whether he’s gettable or not, I think he’s brilliant. He’s an unreal centre-half.

“He has every attribute to be perfect for the Premier League. I’d probably say he’s the standout, but whether he’s gettable or not, I don’t know.

“I’ve always said this – to be a successful team, you need that foundation of a solid defence and to be able to pick similar players.”

Ferdinand went on to compare United to Manchester City and Liverpool in terms of their backline stability, arguing the Red Devils cannot afford to lose Lisandro Martinez in a crucial phase of the campaign.

“Martinez has been a huge, huge loss,” he added. “His personality, his character, his ability on the ball has been exactly what Ten Hag wants and United were at their best last season when those two [Martinez and Raphael Varane] were playing together.”