“Needs that more than anyone else” - Rio Ferdinand names Manchester United star who will benefit from Karim Benzema signing

Rio Ferdinand claimed that Manchester United star Rasmus Hojlund would stand to gain the most if the Red Devils signed Karim Benzema. Speaking on the FIVE YouTube channel, the former defender claimed that the young striker could learn a lot from the Frenchman.

He pointed out how United had a history of signing veteran strikers, naming the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. Ferdinand said:

"That’s just going back to old, what we’ve been doing before. We’ve done it with Cristiano, we’ve done it with Falcao, we’ve done it with Cavani, we’ve done it with Zlatan…

"Listen, Benzema… how can you say no? How can you say no to that signing? One thing I would say, one person who needs that more than anyone else around right now Rasmus Hojlund."

The former Manchester United star added how Danny Welbeck and Diego Forlan benefitted from similar situations, adding:

"Hojlund needs that somebody to look and learn from. I remember when we had Danny Welbeck coming into the first-team and he’s looking up to Cristiano, [Wayne] Rooney, [Carlos] Tevez and those guys.

"Diego Forlan comes in, a young Uruguayan striker, and you’ve got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy he’s backing up. Chicharito, the same thing, they’re looking on and going: 'That’s what a real striker is! That is how a true No.9 operates and I’m going to follow that'. Hojlund is looking at himself in the mirror! That’s it."

This comes after a report from Spanish outlet Marca claimed that Benzema was unhappy at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. He left Real Madrid after 14 years for a lucrative deal in the Middle East.

However, the 36-year-old has missed training on multiple occasions and also skipped the side's pre-season training camp in Dubai.

Manchester United ready to offer defender in swap deal for Premier League star - Reports

Olise has starred for Palace.

Manchester United are reportedly willing to offer defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka to convince Crystal Palace to sell attacker Michael Olise. According to ESPN, the Red Devils are keen on improving their attack and the 22-year-old has emerged as a target.

Olise was said to be close to joining Chelsea in the summer but stayed put at Selhurst Park, signing a four-year extension. He missed the initial part of the campaign with injury but has starred since his return, bagging five goals and one assist in nine games.

The report claims that Manchester United are keen on improving the right side of their attack, with Antony struggling to impress this season. The Red Devils have been below par in front of the goal with just 24 goals in 21 league games and the addition of Olise could prove beneficial.