Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has expressed his concern over a deal completed by the club on summer transfer deadline day.
Like many other Premier League sides, Manchester United were active on deadline day, sanctioning player departures while also bringing in reinforcements. Among those to leave were Jadon Sancho and Antony, as manager Ruben Amorim looks to trim his squad.
However, Ferdinand was troubled to learn that United failed to include an obligation-to-buy clause in Jadon Sancho’s loan move to Aston Villa.
Sancho sealed a season-long switch to Villa, following the path Marcus Rashford took last season. The England international will now be eager to impress under Unai Emery, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon.
This move marks the third loan spell of Sancho’s United career. He has not featured for the Red Devils since the 2024 Community Shield, and Ferdinand admitted his surprise that the winger could potentially return to Old Trafford.
Jadon Sancho spent last season on loan at Chelsea. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, he said: “Ain’t Sancho got an obligation to buy at the end of it? No? Oh, don’t like that.”
By contrast, United included a £38m obligation to buy in Rasmus Højlund’s move to Napoli, alongside a £5.2m loan fee. No such clause was agreed in Sancho’s departure.
Villa will cover 80 per cent of Sancho’s wages, plus performance-related bonuses. Despite his concerns over the lack of a purchase clause, Ferdinand supported the broader strategy of offloading unhappy players.
“I said this ages ago: if you’re going to take massive losses on these players, take them—just to get them out,” Ferdinand argued. “You can’t worry too much about the financials if you’re going to keep them around and let them be a bad smell in the dressing room. No, get rid. I don’t care.
“The squad is the most important thing. Keeping harmony and a positive atmosphere is the be-all and end-all if you want to move forward as a club. You don’t need distractions around.
“The last thing anyone needs is Garnacho, Rashford, Sancho, Antony, etc., being left to train separately. That always creates an undercurrent of negativity. So I think it’s good for everyone that they’ve gone.”
Once regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young talents, Sancho has failed to justify the £72.8m United paid for him. He has managed just 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances for the club.
