Rio Ferdinand Questions Manchester United's Attack Strategy After Hull City Defeat

Rio Ferdinand has questioned whether Manchester United have left themselves short in attack after their shock defeat to Hull City, wondering if the budget has already been burned on other areas of the pitch.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former United defender zeroed in on the club’s summer spending and what remains in the pot for a marquee forward.

“The big question is, does United’s budget stretch to go and get an Ollie Watkins or someone like that now?” Ferdinand asked, throwing the spotlight on a frontline that again failed to convince.

United have poured most of their resources into midfield, landing Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. That rebuild has come at a cost elsewhere. While Aston Villa’s Watkins has racked up 108 goals since his move from Brentford in 2020, United are still searching for a ruthless, reliable presence at centre-forward.

The frustration for Ferdinand runs deeper than missed targets. He could not hide his disbelief at seeing Danny Welbeck make what he described as a cheap switch to Stamford Bridge without United entering the race.

“If Danny Welbeck was on the market, and he clearly was, that’s one who Man United should have gone for because he could still have had an important role to play despite being happy to be on the bench at this stage of his career,” he said.

The selection decisions at Hull only sharpened his concerns. £73m striker Benjamin Sesko, one of the headline arrivals, started on the bench. Matheus Cunha got the nod to lead the line, and United paid the price in a flat attacking display that ended in an upset defeat.

For Ferdinand, that call underlined just how vital Sesko now becomes as the season beds in.

“The importance of Benjamin Sesko is huge, especially going to a place like that. You need him in the team and I’m interested to see how he does this season in that sense,” he insisted.

United’s recruitment team, led by Michael Carrick, now face an awkward question: with the midfield rebuilt and money already committed, is there still enough left to go and get the calibre of forward Ferdinand is talking about – or will they have to live with what they’ve got up front and hope Sesko grows into the role at speed?