Ruben Amorim urged to change his mind on Man Utd star he almost sold in January

Rio Ferdinand has repeated his calls for Alejandro Garnacho to be given a bigger role at Manchester United, with the outspoken former defender claiming: “He has to start.”

Garnacho, 20, was close to leaving the club in the January transfer window with United willing to listen to offers and head coach Ruben Amorim not appearing certain where the Argentine would fit in his system.

But Ferdinand remains a big fan of the forward and reckons he offers a struggling attack enough variety to cause opposition defences problems.

Garnacho came off the bench in last weekend’s unconvincing comeback against Everton at Goodison Park and he has scored just one goal since Amorim’s arrival having found the net on seven occasions during the final months of Erik ten Hag’s reign.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “You can talk about quality, but at least he’s getting in there. At least he’s got the balls to get in the box and create havoc.

“It’s not something scientific, there’s no science behind it, the more times you get in the box the more opportunities you’ve got to score goals. He has to play for me.”

Earlier this month Ferdinand defended Garnacho after stinging criticism from Roy Keane.

"I don’t think his [Garnacho] stats are unbelievable this season but in terms of impacting the game and putting the other team on the back foot, he is probably one of the only players who does it in our team," Ferdinand said on his own podcast.

"You look at him and say his game isn’t 100 per cent clean but that can be developed. But he doesn’t lack effort, he doesn’t lack energy. He’s got a pair of b******s that says he wants the ball, he will take the ball anywhere. He has got that belief and character that says I should be here and I should be playing. 'Give me the ball at all times.'"

He has also pointed to Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles in front of goal coming down to a lack of belief.

Hojlund, 20, has failed to score in his past 16 appearances, a run dating back to mid-December, and there are suggestions that patience is wearing thin among Amorim’s backroom staff.

But Ferdinand added of the young Dane: “He’s obviously lacking a lot of confidence. He’s young as well, I’m not trying to make excuses, he’s not helped by the fact there’s no one of experience up there [with him].”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.