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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand claims that the club ignored his recommendation to sign Ben Godfrey from Norwich City last season.
The defender was signed by Everton for a fee of around £23 million following Norwich City's relegation last season and has been a revelation in defence for the Toffees this season.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that the Red Devils should have pulled the trigger on a move for Ben Godfrey while he was still relatively unknown at Norwich City. The centre-back would've been available at a much lower price than what Everton paid for him.
Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel:
"Anyone had a chance to sign him because Norwich were going to let him go. Listen, I told you before I’d spoken to various people at different clubs, United being one of them as well. They could’ve had Ben when he was about 12 or 15 mil, when he just went to Norwich, had been there about half a season or a season. But listen, there’s so many players we could look at and say, they were missed at that point and they had to pay more."
He continued:
"That’s just life, that’s part of it, and there’s different judges. 99 people can judge a player and not like him and one just says, ‘bang, he’s for me’. It’s just that I’ve seen these boys grow so I know what’s under their bonnet, I know what they’re carrying in their toolbox."
Ben Godfrey is a versatile defender that got into Everton's starting XI as a left-back. The 23-year old has played in 17 Premier League games for Everton this season, as the Toffees push for a top-four spot.
He is now a fixture at centre-back for Carlo Ancelotti's side and played a key role in Everton's win against Merseyside rivals Liverpool at the weekend.
Manchester United have had their defensive woes this season
Manchester United would have been thrilled to sign Ben Godfrey before the current season. The Red Devils have had their issues at centre-back this season, with Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof both being out for spells due to injury.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has also had his troubles both on and off the pitch, with the defender coming under a lot of criticism for some of his performances this season.
Ben Godfrey would easily slot into Manchester United's defence with the displays he's shown at the heart of Everton's backline during this campaign.
