Rio Ferdinand, speaking on his 'Rio Presents' YouTube channel, stated he has no doubt that Manchester United were interested in signing 23-year-old English central midfielder Elliot Anderson but had a price limit they could not exceed. Ferdinand believes that while his former club would have preferred to sign the £116m player, who joined Manchester City in July 2026, they could not match the fee City could pay because they did not want to spend their entire budget on one player. During the summer, Manchester United were linked with other costly midfielders but ultimately chose to sign three cheaper alternatives. The midfielder has 17 caps for England. According to Transfermarkt, he has a current market value of €110.00m.