Rio Ferdinand backs Jean-Claude Blanc to solve three Man United issues Richard Arnold failed to

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Jean-Claude Blanc will be able to solve issues surrounding Old Trafford, the Reds' lack of commercial awareness and the club's social media use.

Blanc arrived at the Reds on Christmas Eve as a director following the announcement Sir Jim Ratcliffe had purchased a minority stake in the club. While the British billionaire awaits ratification from the Premier League, INEOS' plans are already starting to take shape.

At the weekend, United appointed Omar Berrada as the club's new CEO in what was seen as a huge coup. Discussing the appointment of Manchester City's head of football operations, Ferdinand went off on a tangent and pointed to mistakes Richard Arnold made while he was CEO including not striking a brand deal with leading fashion brand Supreme.

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Speaking on the Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand explained: "You know what the madness is? Four maybe five years ago I was asking why Manchester United was not signing with Supreme, I spoke to prominent people: ‘Why are you not signing with Supreme or one of these cool brands?’

"Supreme is red and white, there is perfect synergy there. It was hot, and massive at the time. Why have we not got one of these brands alongside us?

"Who goes out and buys a Man United sweater or t-shirt? They do a few of them but it ain’t something where you go: ‘I am queuing round the block to go and get that,’ you know what I mean. It is just another way to break another [market]. Man United have never tapped into that."

Ferdinand then admitted he had pitched the idea to bring his 'Five' brand into the United