Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United must make a move for Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola before it’s too late.
Guardiola has not confirmed whether he will leave Bayern Munich when his contract runs out at the end of the 2015-16 season. However widespread reports have suggested he will announce his decision to leave the Bundesliga side following Bayern’s game against Hannover on Saturday, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea — who parted company with Jose Mourinho on Thursday — all linked with the coach.
While there have been no solid indications United plan to sack current boss Louis van Gaal, Ferdinand insists the time for the Old Trafford club to hire the former Barcelona coach is now, or else the chance will never present itself again.
“The thing with Manchester United is that he will go to one Premier League team and won’t be going to another [after that],” Ferdinand said on Friday.
“There is one chance — you have one chance to get him. He won’t go to Manchester City and then to United; he’s not going to go to Chelsea and then United. It won’t happen, so you’ve got one chance to get the best manager on the planet.”
Guardiola, 44, has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles since joining Bayern on a three-year deal in 2013. Before his move to Bavaria, the former Barca midfielder was a two-time Champions League winner during a record-setting tenure at the Catalan club.
Ferdinand said United and the other clubs interested in must weigh their current coaching situations before making deciding to make a move for Guardiola.
“Is [Guardiola] better than what they’ve got?” Ferdinand said. “That’s what Man United and City should be asking.
“If the answer is yes then you go for it, surely. It’s like with the best players in the world — if someone like Ronaldo or Messi becomes available, everyone is interested.
“I don’t think it’s different with a great manager. The best manager in the world is definitely Guardiola and when he becomes available people are going to be interested, and I think United are no different.”
Despite United’s recent elimination in the Champions League and their struggles to score goals this season, Ferdinand still views the Old Trafford job as a tantalising one for any manager.
“It’s a huge job. Especially now, it’s a job where, if you go in and do well, you’ll be seen as a hero — someone who has turned it around. It’s a tantalising job. It’s a job where you could create something with legacy. That’s what Pep Guardiola likes to do, but he’s got options. People talk about Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal. It’s not going to be easy.”
ESPN FC sources have indicated Mourinho wants his next job to be at United. The Portuguese left Chelsea amid a disastrous disastrous campaign which saw the former Real Madrid boss accuse his players of betraying his work.
Ferdinand, who now works as a pundit, likened Mourinho’s situation to that of David Moyes, who took over for legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson after the latter’s retirement in 2013.
“It was the same with David Moyes,” Ferdinand said. “It wasn’t just his fault — the players have to take some responsibility too. This season it hasn’t gone as well as [Chelsea] would have liked, so they are going to get criticised and you’ve got to take that on the chin.
“In professional football, in sport, in any walk of life, you don’t want criticism but when it’s on your doorstep and you haven’t performed the way you should — and people know you haven’t — then you’ve got to take it.”
