Rio Ferdinand shoots down speculation he 'put himself forward' for Manchester United assistant role

Rio Ferdinand has firmly denied speculation that he 'put himself forward' for the role of Manchester United assistant manager.

United are on the hunt for a new permanent manager to replace the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and take over the reins from interim boss Ralf Rangnick. There is hope one could be in place before the end of the season and the club are stepping up their search over the two-week international break.

Though Mauricio Pochettino is a leading candidate, and Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui are also admired, MEN sport understands that Ajax's Erik ten Hag is the current preferred choice. A final decision has now yet been made, though, as United have reiterated that they remain open-minded and will speak to many candidates before moving forward.

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That process started this week as United interviewed Ten Hag about potentially joining the club in the summer. The Dutchman is highly regarded for the job he has done in Amsterdam with league title triumphs, great runs in the Champions League and creating two exciting sides.

Whoever is hired as the new manager, he will likely bring a whole new coaching team with him to Old Trafford. However, according to a report by Stretty News, United would want Ten Hag's assistant to be a former player. One candidate that would reportedly be keen on the role is fellow Dutchman Robin van Persie.

However, it's also added that former centre-back Ferdinand has put himself forward but that the club are 'unconvinced.' Ferdinand has quickly moved to shoot down the report on Twitter and deny that he has volunteered himself for the job.

Quoting a tweet that shared the report, Ferdinand wrote: