Ferdinand says Man Utd "whoring" themselves out to sign De Jong

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been very critical of the club's pursuit of Frenkie de Jong on his YouTube show Vibe with Five.

United have spent the summer trying to sign De Jong and even agreed a fee with Barcelona, but the player has been reluctant to make the switch to Old Trafford.

‘With all due respect, he’s a great player, but we’re almost whoring ourselves out for this player for three months of the transfer window with our cap in hand begging, 'Please come to us”,' Ferdinand said.

"They’ve walked around behind [De Jong] begging him, 'Please turn round and notice us,' and he’s looking around and saying, 'Not for me.'

"And we’re still there, 'Please give us one chance.' How are we putting ourselves in that position? How are we allowing ourselves to be put in a position like that?

"Do you think Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola or Six Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho would be following around a player like this? They wouldn’t be doing that."

De Jong came off the bench as Barcelona drew 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday but his future remains uncertain with around three weeks left in the transfer window.

United, meanwhile, have made a disastrous start to the Premier League season under new coach Erik ten Hag. They lost at home to Brighton last weekend and were hammered 4-0 by Brentford on Saturday.