Manchester United fans might have been wary when they learned that Rio Ferdinand helped convince Leny Yoro sign for the club. Ferdinand was one of several United figures who had urged Cristiano Ronaldo to make his ill-fated return to Old Trafford, reportedly calling the striker at 3am to warn him against moving to Manchester City and twisting his arm in favour of signing for United.
Ronaldo might have scored 27 goals for United and given supporters a few sugar hits, but his second coming proved to be a huge mistake for the player and the club. After Ronaldo's tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, even Ferdinand admitted: "That love affair with Manchester United is finished. The book has been closed, he’s snookered the club and put them into a position where there’s no way back."
The Ronaldo signing represented the worst of United's transfer policy at the time, hoping the glory days would return by using the same methods as in the past. The club paid £12 million ($15m) and £52m ($68m) in wages for a nostalgia trip. They gained a player long past his sell-by date who had one good season on an individual level, but overall held the team back, derailing the project Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been building and humiliating the club by leaving just 14 months later.
There are high hopes, however, for Ferdinand's next project. Yoro, like Ferdinand was when he signed for United from Leeds in 2002, has the potential to be a transformational signing, one who could lead their defence for the next decade and take them back to the very top.