Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United should look at Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as the transfer window enters its final days.
Watkins was left out of Villa’s squad for their 4-0 defeat to Brighton after manager Unai Emery confirmed the club had received offers for the 30-year-old. Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal are interested, and the forward could leave if the right deal arrives.
Ollie Watkins has scored 108 goals for Aston Villa since joining from Brentford in 2020 and is their record Premier League scorer.
Ferdinand wants another striker at United
United already have Benjamin Sesko, but he featured on the bench for the defeat at Hull City after recovering from an injury, with Matheus Cunha starting up front.
Ferdinand thinks United could still use another experienced option.
“The big question is, does United’s budget stretch to go and get an Ollie Watkins or someone like that now?” he said on his YouTube channel.
The former United captain also questioned why the club didn’t make a move for Danny Welbeck, who joined Chelsea this summer.
“If Danny Welbeck was on the market, and he clearly was, that’s one who Man Utd 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.”
United need Sesko to establish himself quickly, but having another proven Premier League forward could take some pressure off him.
“The importance of Benjamin Sesko is huge, especially going to a place like that,” Ferdinand said.
“You need him in the team and I’m interested to see how he does this season in that sense.”
Watkins could therefore be an intriguing option if Villa are prepared to sell.
