Rio Ferdinand tells Man Utd which backup striker to sign for Ronaldo

The former Red Devils defender thinks bringing Danny Welbeck back to the fold would be a smart play.

Manchester United should consider re-signing Danny Welbeck as a foil for Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Rio Ferdinand.

While Pascal Gross scored both goals in Brighton’s 2-1 win over United at the weekend, Welbeck was the man pulling the strings in the Seagulls’ attack. He brought others into play, teed up the first goal, and troubled his former club’s defense all afternoon at Old Trafford.

“Danny Welbeck starts for Man United today [Sunday] in this game,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

“Welbeck walked out of that tunnel and you could see, shoulders back, chest out, thinking – ‘I will terrorize these two [Martinez and Maguire]’.

“That’s how he played today, he looked like prime-time Danny Welbeck at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid 10 years ago.

“On today’s performance, no doubt. If you want a backup striker, you wouldn’t go far wrong with Danny Welbeck. Say to him, ‘you’re going to play 15/20 games over the season, fill in for Cristiano’. It gives us the legs, gives us the movement – the running behind defenders like he did today and it frees up the space for the likes of Bruno [Fernandes].”

Welbeck managed 29 goals and 21 assists in 142 appearances during a six-year spell in United’s senior team after graduating from the youth system.

The 31-year-old left the club for Arsenal in 2014, but he has spent the last two years at Brighton.