Manchester United Transfer News: Rio Ferdinand Concerned Amid Marco Reus Rumours

Rio Ferdinand has added his voice to the list of former Manchester United players concerned about the club's transfer policy. In a slightly contradictory assessment of life at Old Trafford under United boss Louis van Gaal, Ferdinand, now a BT Sport pundit, has criticised both the spending and playing style.

He believes United are no longer as attractive a destination for potential signings as they once were, per the Mail on Sunday's Rob Draper:

"

The landscape has changed totally. When Man United came in for me there were other clubs—Barcelona, Real Madrid, Roma, Chelsea.

But my whole thinking was trophies. It wasn’t about how much money I was earning, it wasn’t about where I was living, it was, 'Who is going to get me to win trophies in this country?' That was Man United. I’m playing for Alex Ferguson.

"

Instead, the former Red Devils centre-back believes his old club struggles to match the finances and trophy-winning potential of Premier League rivals such as Chelsea and Manchester City.

It's ironic Ferdinand cites those struggles since he's also been critical of United's tremendous financial outlay since Van Gaal took over. While describing the change in transfer policy as "unreal," Ferdinand referenced a discussion with former longtime United central-defensive partner Nemanja Vidic: "We were saying, 'If they’d spent £50m when we were there, we’d have won how much more?'"

Ferdinand may have a point about United's recent spending sprees. Yet how else does he expect United to compete with City and Chelsea?

One of his old team-mates, Gary Neville, has also questioned the spending policy. But current Sky Sports pundit Neville cited clearer reasons.

JON SUPER/Associated Press

Writing for the Telegraph, he insisted performances have to match the outlay. He also bemoaned how spending large sums is overtaking values that were previously core to the club's identity, such as selective spending and the development of youth: "United are certainly starting to do things that we scoffed at in the Ferguson era when other clubs behaved that way."

There's more than a hint of revisionist history at work here. Sure, United long prided themselves on giving young players a chance, Neville being one of the prime examples.

But the club also spent a pretty penny during Sir Alex Ferguson's day. Ferdinand was an expensive import in 2002. Wayne Rooney was the same two years later. There was also Juan Sebastian Veron and Dimitar Berbatov among many, many others over the years.

In this argument, context is king. At the time these signings were made, they were the equivalent of £50 million outputs today. They were certainly far in excess of what United's rivals at the time could afford.

The cold truth is United were pretty much the only big spenders for two thirds of Ferguson's tenure. Now there are other players at the table. Complaining about it is unseemly.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Whether Ferdinand thinks it's fair or not, United having to match the big spenders is now a reality. In fact, it's something the club is in a prime position to do.

That's the view of Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. He claimed the money United and the other Premier League clubs are handed as part of TV deals each season means the rest of Europe can hardly compete, relayed by the MailOnline's Nicholas Gooden: "Their income from the TV pot is much, much bigger than our income in Germany or Italy or in Spain, so we have to find different philosophies which will not be very easy."

Interestingly, Gooden cited a claim from German publication Sport Bild stating United bid £60 million for Bayern forward Thomas Muller this summer. Rummenigge didn't disclose the amount, but he did suggest a bank manger would "have to accept it."

His words could be ominous for the rest of the Bundesliga. United are already being linked with a January swoop for Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus, per Spanish website Fichajes (h/t Metro).

In all honesty, though, Ferdinand should welcome this kind of move. He's also complained about United's playing style, or lack thereof, under Van Gaal, according to another report from Draper: "Don’t go there expecting to see free-flowing, attacking, gung-ho football."

Adding an attacker as fluid, pacy and creative as Reus would certainly encourage a more attractive game.

Yet for all Ferdinand's complaints about post-Ferguson United, Van Gaal is rebuilding his way. Restoring the Red Devils to former glories is not going to be a pretty process. Ferdinand was part of a squad that got old together.

Overhauling that group while at the same time keeping pace with the Premier League's other big spenders means perhaps sacrificing a principle or two. It might also mean spending as if there's no tomorrow.