“Do not risk your life and career’ – Rio Ferdinand advises Barcelona defender against joining Man Utd

Rio Ferdinand, a Manchester United veteran, has warned Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo against joining the Premier League club in the January transfer window.

Man United manager Erik ten Hag is keen to bolster his defense in the January window despite having the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

Ten Hag has been reliant on the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans in recent weeks.

However, Araujo is said to be unsettled at Barcelona where he has become increasingly frustrated at being asked to play in a full-back role.

Bayern Munich are understood to be the frontrunners for the Uruguay international although Man United hold long-standing interest in the 24-year-old.

Speaking about Araujo, Ferdinand warned the player not to risk his life and career by joining Man United, urging him to look at Varane’s situation at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand told Vibe with Five, “If I’m a player like Ronald who I think has every attribute to be one of the best defenders in the world, why are you going United?’

“I’d be looking at Varane and going if he can go to Manchester United and get benched for a left-back, or for an old veteran like Jonny Evans, an ex-player who has come back for his twilight years and someone who used to be captain who was left out for 18 months but is back in form now and is playing, I can’t go there and risk my life and risk my career.”

He added: “If you look at it what player has gone to Manchester United and got better? Varane has got worse, Casemiro has gone backwards now in their value and worth. You’d get good money for Bruno still, he’s the only one.”