Ferdinand insists United should celebrate finishing above Liverpool

Assessing Manchester United’s season, which was a bit spoiled by their Europa League final defeat to Villarreal, Ferdinand told

: "I think in the league we’ve got what we wanted, which was an improvement.

"I think Man United at the end of last season finished 30-odd points behind Liverpool. Liverpool are now behind us and they’ll have their excuses and reasons why but the cold facts are that we have gained that much ground on them that we’ve gone past them this season.

"That shows vast improvement and we’re second in the league. By no means are we the finished article but I think at the beginning of the season if you’d said you’d finish second in the league from where we were I think they’d have snapped your hand off."

On his former side’s necessary requirements, Ferdinand said: "They need to recruit well in this window in the right areas. I think they need a centre-back, a right-winger, and maybe even a centre-forward."

Tottenham’s captain, Harry Kane, has been heavily linked with a summer switch to Old Trafford, and Ferdinand couldn’t help himself smiling at the idea.

"It would be nice wouldn’t it," Ferdinand said when asked about Kane. "But my first position to buy would be centre-back."

A right-winger, centre-back, defensive midfielder, right-back and centre-forward are all reportedly on the shopping list of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, however, the manager himself is optimistic to get "two or three" new additions before the new season.

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