Ferdinand identifies the only Man Utd signing in last decade who has ‘grown in value’

Bruno Fernandes is the only Manchester United signing from the past decade to become more valuable, according to Rio Ferdinand – who feels they must sharpen up their recruitment.

Questions are being asked of all departments at Manchester United as they risk missing out on Champions League football. They are currently seventh in the Premier League with seven games to go.

They could yet overtake West Ham in sixth by winning a game in hand. But that would still leave them some way off the top four.

It is a far cry from what was expected of them after they added Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho to a squad that finished as runners-up in both the Premier League and Europa League last season.

All those signings were of the high pedigree that should have elevated standards at the club. Instead, they have slipped.

It has turned the spotlight on the recruitment staff at Manchester United. Their former defender Ferdinand is also asking such questions, making an admission over their signings in the years since he left in 2014.

Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel: “I just feel that, when you look at it, Man Utd – you can talk about training grounds and all that stuff – but please, you’ve got to get the football stuff right.

“You’ve got to get the culture at the football club right. You’ve got to get the players that you recruit right.

“And if you look at the players that have been coming to this football club for the last eight or 10 years, if you were going to do a list of all of them on paper, how many of these players have come to this football club and actually grown in value or got better?”

One man who can claim to be among that group is Fernandes. His impact has been noticeable since he joined