Rio Ferdinand expressed his skepticism about Ivan Toney’s suitability for Manchester United and expressed optimism that the team will not give in to the temptation of making a summertime bid for the Brentford striker.
The 28-year-old Toney has one year left on his current Brentford deal, and he has never hidden his desire to play for a “top club.”
It’s said that Brentford’s £60 million value is discouraging rival teams from bidding for the England international, despite the fact that teams like Arsenal and Chelsea have been loosely connected to Toney in recent months.
It’s also been reported that Ferdinand’s previous team, United, had expressed interest. With Joshua Zirkzee’s arrival at Old Trafford, these rumors have cooled slightly, though.
The likes of Evan Ferguson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are believed to be on United’s radar, though, with Erik ten Hag keen for further attacking reinforcements to ease the load on Rasmus Hojlund up front.
During a Q&A with his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ferdinand said he was an admirer of Toney but argued that the forward’s ‘profile is wrong’ for the Red Devils.
‘Personally, I wouldn’t go for someone like Ivan Toney,’ Ferdinand said.
Toney to Manchester United #AskRio #AMA https://t.co/kUXmQcaXBW pic.twitter.com/W3hxgNzLPe
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) August 14, 2024
‘I rate him as a player but I just think the age, that profile is wrong for the club and the way that they’re going, the way that they’ve gone into this transfer window with this new ownership. So I just don’t see it as being a fit.
I think I found it a bit strange. He’s someone that everyone was talking about, “Could go to Arsenal, could go to Chelsea, could go here or there for £100m, £80m”, whatever it was. Then, all of a sudden, there’s no bidders so I’m a bit mystified as to why that is.
‘But for Manchester United, I just don’t see it as a fit right now for the way that Manchester United play as well.’
Speaking to talkSPORT this week, Thomas Frank could not rule out the possibility of Toney leaving before the transfer deadline – but stressed that the attacker’s attitude had been ‘brilliant’ in training.
‘People will keep asking me [about Toney] until September 1. Honestly, I don’t know,’ the Brentford manager said ahead of his side’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
‘What I do know is that he is a Brentford player. I am very happy about that.
‘He has done fantastic for us and he’s been one of our best players, if not the best.
‘If he’s in my team on September 1, I’ll be delighted. He’s not been sold yet.
‘His attitude has been brilliant, as always. Ivan is a fantastic player, he is even better as a person. He just loves to play football.’