Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted his disappointment at the club missing out on Pep Guardiola to Manchester City.
Guardiola will move to Etihad Stadium at the conclusion of this season from Bayern Munich, replacing Manuel Pellegrini, in a show of intent by the club's Abu Dhabi owners.
And with United faltering towards the end of the season under Louis Van Gaal, Ferdinand believes United has missed its chance in not moving for the former Barcelona manager sooner.
"When I heard Guardiola was available, I said Manchester United had to be in the mix to get him," Ferdinand told the Daily Express.
"Guardiola is a great manager, arguably the best in the world football over the past 6-7 years in terms of what he has won. There's nobody that can match in terms of trophies won.
"Man City have him now — though I would have much rather seen him go elsewhere."
United entertains Liverpool on Thursday evening at Old Trafford with its UEFA Europa League hopes hanging in the balance following a 2-0 defeat at Anfield last Thursday.
Defeat over the two legs would almost certainly remove United's final avenue of qualification for the UEFA Champions League, with the club trailing Manchester City, in fourth in the English Premier League, by four points.
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