Rio Ferdinand has once again revealed his regret over Manchester United failing to sign Declan Rice and is convinced the midfielder would have chosen his former side over Arsenal if offered the chance.
Rice moved to the Emirates from West Ham for £100m in the summer of 2023 and other than a late hijack attempt from Manchester City faced no real competition to sign him despite previous strong interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea.
United had finished third behind Arsenal in second the season before, meaning both clubs were offering Champions League football at the time.
He has gone on to greater heights under Mikel Arteta, reaching his zenith across the two legs of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter final win over Real Madrid, scoring two unbelievable free-kicks in the first game before drawing similar praise for his display at the Bernabeu.
There are now suggestions the England international could be in the running for the Ballon d’Or and Ferdinand was full of praise for the 26-year-old before claiming he would have picked United over Arsenal had his former side offered him the same wages.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “The first tie killed it but they [Arsenal] were magnificent, I thought, over two legs.
“Declan Rice, I think, you know when you look at players and go where was the moment he stood up and said, ‘guys, the top table, I’m at it’. I think this tie says that.
“Doing against a team of that magnitude, that type of team, that champion. And we [Manchester United] didn’t go and sign him.
“I think, and I will stand by this, if Man United had come to the table with a chequebook and said, ‘we’ll match what Arsenal pay’, I think Declan Rice would have chosen Man United.”
MORE ARSENAL COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Big Weekend: Aston Villa v Newcastle, Liverpool, Declan Rice, Leeds, and poor old Lyon
👉 Al-Nassr line up £43m ‘offer’ for Arsenal star in £343m ‘dream squad’ rebuild that includes Vinicius Jr
👉 Arsenal could pull out of race for Berta favourite over ‘red flags’ with Man Utd less concerned
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town on Sunday, Arteta believes Rice is now in a “different dimension” following his two performances against Madrid.
“He’s learning more and more,” Arteta said.
“I think performances like he had in this side against Real Madrid actually just puts the player in a different dimension and that’s why we brought him here.
“That’s why we demand him as well to take more steps and to be more decisive in games because he can do it.
“We’ve been talking about it for the last few weeks and to be at this stage is not easy. He’s done it two times in a row.
“Now he’s maintaining that level of consistency, belief and undoubtedly his role will be bigger and bigger.”
