Rio Ferdinand has recommended that Man United bolster their defense by acquiring Kevin Danso and Ronald Araujo.

Man United has invested heavily in center-backs in the past two years. However, concerns about the durability of players like Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who suffered two foot injuries in six months, make it likely that Erik ten Hag will seek defensive reinforcements.

Despite his recent improvement, questions remain about Harry Maguire‘s future at Old Trafford, and Jonny Evans was brought in as a temporary solution during the summer.

The club is expected to extend Victor Lindelof’s contract, but Rio Ferdinand believes that an athletic and robust defender is needed to elevate United to the next level.

‘The boy at Lens, there’s one there, he’s good,’ Ferdinand told the Manchester Evening News.

‘The Uruguayan boy at Barcelona – Araujo. Whether he’s gettable or not, I think he’s brilliant. He’s an unreal centre half.

‘He has every attribute to be perfect for the Premier League. I’d probably say he’s the standout, but whether he’s gettable or not, I don’t know.’

‘I’ve always said this – to be a successful team, you need that foundation of a solid defence and to be able to pick similar players,’ Ferdinand added.

‘I think you look at the teams that have won recently – Liverpool and Man City – they’ve had consistency in their backlines of players featuring, especially in important stages of the season. And maybe United haven’t been afforded that.

‘But Martinez has been a huge, huge loss. His personality, his character, his ability on the ball has been exactly what Ten Hag wants and United were at their best last season when those two were playing together.

‘But, again, with every person who falls away and gets injured, there’s an opportunity for someone else and at the moment, Harry Maguire seems to have that shirt. Hopefully that form continues now.’