John Stones would become key player in Manchester United – Rio Ferdinand

Simon Foster 08:28 05/08/2015
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  • Gem: John Stones’ future at Everton has come under increased scrutiny.

    Rio Ferdinand has urged John Stones to think carefully about his future, suggesting he could become a linchpin in Manchester United’s backline instead of a supporting act for Chelsea.

    The Everton centre-back has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks after the Toffees, who insist he is going nowhere, twice rejected big-money bids from Chelsea for the 21-year-old.

    Jose Mourinho is believed to see the former Barnsley defender as a natural successor to John Terry, but Ferdinand says if he leaves Goodison Park he could get regular football at United.

    “If he goes to Man United, he plays every week so that’s the right club for him,” Ferdinand said.

    “If he goes to Chelsea, he’s not playing every week. He’s at that stage of his development where he wants to play every week. If you say to any young footballer to leave a club to sit on the bench, you’ve got to be a lunatic. You have to be.”

    The ex-England captain can also see plenty of room for defensive improvements at Old Trafford.

    “I don’t think (Van Gaal) knows his best defence – that’s a problem in itself,” he said. “Part of the reason he doesn’t know it is because he hasn’t had a chance to watch them all play over a long time – consistently for 12 or 15 games. If you don’t get that familiarity between you as defenders, it’s difficult to build foundations.”

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    Coupled with the problems Ferdinand points out with the defence, Van Gaal could have further headaches down the line in midfield with Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola casting doubts over Bastian Schweinsteiger’s fitness by revealing the midfielder has not been problem-free for three years.

    Schweinsteiger, who spent 16 years at Bayern, moved to United earlier this summer but Guardiola stressed first and foremost the Red Devils have to get the World Cup winner back to peak condition.

    “When he does not have injury problems, I am completely convinced he will do very well at Manchester United. He is a top, top player,” the Bayern boss said of the 31-year-old.

    “Unfortunately, during the last three years he was never in good condition. He is going to play really well there (at United). I really hope that is going to happen.”

    Guardiola, speaking at a press conference ahead of the Audi Cup, also reserved praise for rumoured United transfer target Pedro.

    The 44-year-old watched the Barcelona forward develop during his time at the Nou Camp and he rates him as being among the very best.

    “He (Pedro) is one of the best players you can imagine,” Guardiola added.

    “He’s won the European Cup, the Champions League and played millions of games for Barcelona. He can play in any team in the world, but I don’t know the situation right now. He’s a great player.”

    Meanwhile, Ashley Young is set to end speculation over his United future this week by penning a new contract.

    The 30-year-old’s United career has been reinvigorated by Van Gaal and is expected to sign a new three-year deal in the coming days. The contract is understood to be worth in the region of £120,000-per-week (Dh686,325). The news provides the Old Trafford club with a significant boost ahead of the new season.

    Young played a key role for United last season as Van Gaal’s men made the Champions League qualifiers.

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