Manchester United finished 15th in the Premier League this season and club legend Rio Ferdinand has had his say on where the Red Devils should be looking to end up in 2025/26
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Rio Ferdinand chats Talking Futures
Rio Ferdinand has suggested that Manchester United should aim to secure a place in the top six to eight of the Premier League next season.
The Red Devils will be keen to put the 2024/25 campaign behind them, having ended up a disappointing 15th in the league and trophyless both at home and in Europe. Despite their underwhelming season, Ruben Amorim remains the man charged with the task of returning the Red Devils to former glories.
The Portuguese manager had to contend with an inconsistent squad that he inherited upon his arrival at Old Trafford, and after Ten Hag's lavish spending on players such as Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt last summer, there were limited funds available in January for him to begin his own rebuilding process. Concerns about breaching PSR regulations if they continued to spend recklessly also loomed.
As a result, Amorim could only afford to sign Patrick Dorgu from Lecce for £25.1million, along with Arsenal youngster Ayden Heaven in a deal believed to be around £1m. However, it seems that Amorim will receive backing from the board this summer to bring in players who fit his system, with United already splashing out £62.5m on Matheus Cunha from Wolves in the early stages of the transfer window.
As United continues their transitional period, club icon Ferdinand has voiced his opinions on the team's targets for next season. "I think if you finish 15th this year, United have got to be looking to finish in at least the top eight, top six," Ferdinand told the Mirror.
"I don't think you should be looking outside of that. And that's from someone who only thought about winning the league at United. So it's a big come-down in that sense."
Ferdinand also expressed scepticism regarding Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ambitious Project 150 aims. The INEOS chairman and minority shareholder of the Red Devils had hoped to see United clinch the league title by 2028 to coincide with the club's 150th anniversary.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks on as Ruben Amorim walks past him
Sir Jim Ratcliffe may be forced to abandon Project 150
However Amorim may require more time to guide the team back to their former glory days reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign. An insider told the Mirror back in March that Amorim "felt he could get more from the current squad when he came in," before adding: "There's no getting away from the fact that overall it's been a really tough watch - and that it's going to take a lot of time and patience to get the team to where they should be. You've got to be brave or foolish to think winning the league by 2028 is doable from where United currently are."
This situation, combined with the escalation of talent among close competitors, might compel Ratcliffe to reconsider his Project 150 ambitions as United pursue a more stable future. It comes as Ferdinand has unveiled his Career Transfer Hub with Talking Futures, aiming to bridge the gap between teenagers and their parents in navigating future career planning.
Discussing the project, he said: "I think it's about empowering kind of families to talk more about education, especially parents. I think we're comfortable talking about a lot of things, i.e. football, a lot of the time in and around the front room or across the table with your kids, but getting that kind of common ground when you're talking about education, sometimes it's quite difficult, even I've found it difficult at times.
Rio Ferdinand poses at a Talking Futures event
Rio Ferdinand has launched the Career Transfer Hub with Talking Futures
"So something like this is definitely a good way in and a good avenue in to kind of having those conversations about what's next in your life, education wise, where do you see yourself going? What paths are you looking at?
"And this is a great, I think, avenue for parents to really kind of touch the paper and go, right, listen, here we go, and start walking their kids down the right path, giving them a little bit of autonomy over it, but also guide them a little bit at the same time. So I wish I'd had this when I was younger - although I had football, which I was quite fortunate with."
Rio Ferdinand has partnered with Talking Futures to launch the Career Transfer Hub – giving parents access to information on their child’s education options just like football agents have transfer insiders, negotiation teams and career scouts. You can find out more here.