‘Coutinho was right for Man Utd until Fernandes arrived’ – Red Devils no longer need ex-Liverpool star, says Ferdinand

Manchester United no longer need to form part of any scramble for Philippe Coutinho’s signature, says Rio Ferdinand, with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes ticking an important midfield box at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils moved to bring further creativity into their ranks when doing a €55 million (£47m/$60m) deal with Sporting in January.

Fernandes has hit the ground running in English football, becoming a fan favourite in a short of space of time while being showered with plaudits and individual prizes from all sides.

With the Portugal international looking to be a shrewd addition for United, and with the likes of Paul Pogba to still come back into contention, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is well stocked in the middle of the park.

That means he is unlikely to rekindle interest in former Liverpool star Coutinho, with the Brazilian being heavily linked with a return to England after struggling at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Ferdinand sees no reason for the Red Devils to make a move, telling a Q&A session on his Instagram account that Tottenham would be a better fit.

The ex-England international said: “At Liverpool he was an amazing player, but since he left Liverpool he hasn’t really done it yet.

“He struggled at Barcelona, struggled to fit in there and then he hasn’t done amazingly well at Bayern.

“I think he is a great player, a huge talent, I think he needs saving. Coming into the Premier League to the right team would be a saviour for him, he needs that.

“I would have said Man Utd before Bruno Fernandes turned up, but not now.

“Would he improve Spurs? Yes he would, 100 per cent. People like [Harry] Kane, Dele [Alli], [Heung-min] Son etc all feed off someone like him. I think he would be a great addition to Spurs’ squad.

“Arsenal he would definitely improve them, but where does he play in their system? They've got [Mesut] Ozil. I like Ozil if he is played well.

“Barely any team can afford him where he would fit in. He wouldn’t fit into City, Liverpool, not any teams like that.

“Would he be a good addition, yes? Not Man Utd though, and he played for Liverpool so it is a difficult one. The rivalry is mad.”

Chelsea appear to be heading the queue of English suitors when it comes to Coutinho, with it considered highly unlikely that Liverpool will make a move to bring a familiar face back onto their books.