Rio Ferdinand should not be appointed as sporting director at Manchester United

Appointing Rio Ferdinand as sporting director at Manchester United would be one of the most uninspired decisions this board could make.

Reports suggest that Manchester United are considering bringing Rio Ferdinand back as part of a major restructuring at the club.

The Daily Mail has revealed that Ferdinand has met with Chief Executive Ed Woodward to discuss the United legend possibly becoming the club’s sporting director.

The former defender has made 455 appearances for the club in all competitions between 2002 and 2014, winning six Premier Leagues, two League Cups, the Champions League and more.

According to the same report, the Glazer family have been meaning to bring Ferdinand back in some capacity or another for years now, given his reputation at the club.

However, appointing the 40-year-old as sporting director at Old Trafford would be a huge mistake.

Although no one can argue that Ferdinand has had an amazing career as a player, he just doesn’t have enough experience when it comes to the behind-the-scenes running of a football club.

He has yet to manage a side yet, even though many of his former teammates have gone on to manage multiple clubs, and has spent the past four years talking about football from the safety of a pundit’s desk.

United need to hire someone with years of experience working alongside managers, chief executives and scouting directors in helping to build a solid footballing philosophy.

A club as big as Manchester United will have no trouble at all in nabbing any one of the directors of football working at the top clubs in Europe.

If I could have my own pick, it would easily be Edwin van der Sar. Like Ferdinand, van der Sar has had an illustrious career at United and is adored by fans. But what’s more is that he also has years of experience working as CEO of Ajax, and has done a phenomenal job in helping to recruit young players and ensure that the Dutch side continues to play their impressive brand of football.

This has paid off immensely, as Ajax are in the semi-finals of the Champions League after knocking out both Real Madrid and Juventus in the previous rounds – showing what a club with a clear footballing philosophy can achieve.

Let’s hope Woodward does not make yet another uninspired decision and instead appoints someone who can really help bring United back to their former glory.