Rio Ferdinand urges Man Utd to sign 'natural number nine' who he sees as perfect choice

Manchester United’s lack of attacking threat in their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace has come under scrutiny from Rio Ferdinand, who has also revealed his ideal striker signing for the club.

With Kobbie Mainoo deployed as a makeshift striker, United struggled to break down Palace, managing just two shots on target at Old Trafford.

Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee were only introduced after the 70th minute, but by then, Jean-Philippe Mateta had already scored twice, securing victory for the visitors.

Speaking on his YouTube show, Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, the former United defender agreed with a fan’s claim that the club needs a traditional No. 9.

“I 100 percent agree with you. I completely agree. A natural number nine. Victor Osimhen—I would have gone with Osimhen on loan. Get him on loan, man. If it's possible, I would have got him.”

Ferdinand also raised concerns about Rúben Amorim’s tactical decisions, particularly the decision to play Mainoo as a false nine instead of starting Højlund or Zirkzee.

“Kobbie playing up front—another new variation of tactics from the manager,” Ferdinand noted. “There are two strikers—where does that leave Zirkzee and Højlund?”

The United legend also questioned the club’s pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel, suggesting the team needs an experienced finisher rather than another young talent.

“I see that we're in the market for the young Bayern Munich striker (Tel) now. He's a great talent, but do we need another young one?”

Ferdinand highlighted how playing Mainoo in an advanced role forced Bruno Fernandes to drop deeper, further reducing United’s attacking threat.

“When you play Kobbie so high, Bruno has to play even deeper. Then we lack that real threat. We weren’t really a threat today.”

United’s pursuit of Tel took another hit on transfer deadline day, with the French forward now expected to join Tottenham on loan.

Spurs' persistence appears to have paid off, dealing another setback to United’s transfer plans.

As the deadline looms, United continue to struggle for attacking reinforcements, raising further concerns about their ability to challenge at the top level.