Manchester United are currently third in the Premier League with 51 points from 29 matches, having won 14, drawn 9, and lost 6 so far in the 2025/26 season. This year, the club are playing without European football for the first time since 2014/15, a tough low point in their recent history.
Ruben Amorim was let go in January after less than 14 months on the job, and former United midfielder Michael Carrick stepped in as head coach for the rest of the campaign. Even with all the drama, United have done enough to hold onto a Champions League spot. However, the squad still looks thin, especially in midfield, and fixing that remains a top priority as the summer window approaches.
Ferdinand’s verdict, the Smit case, and Maguire’s vindication
Rio Ferdinand has made his feelings on AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit very clear. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said United need to move fast to sign the 20-year-old. Ferdinand believes the club should view this signing as a top priority, even suggesting that waiting six months or a year is fine as long as they don’t lose him to another team.
He based this on talks with his contacts in the Netherlands and from watching Smit play, claiming that even the limited footage available was enough to convince him. Smit is currently valued at £25 million and is under contract at AZ Alkmaar until June 2028.
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How has he performed?
In the 2025/26 Eredivisie season, he has 3 goals and 2 assists in 1,938 minutes, with a solid average FotMob rating of 7.01. He also captained the Netherlands to a win at the 2025 UEFA Under-19 Championship, where he scored 4 goals in 5 games and was named Player of the Tournament. At the same time, Ferdinand admitted he was wrong about Harry Maguire. He acknowledged that he had told the defender to leave Old Trafford back in 2023, but now says Maguire’s decision to stay and fight for his spot proved him wrong.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “Kees Smit is the truth, man, I’m telling you. “He’s one you go: ‘I’m buying him.’ It doesn’t have to be for now. I hope he does come in and takes the world by storm, but if we’ve got to wait six months to a year for him, I do not care. We cannot let him go elsewhere.
“I’ve seen him play a couple of times now, and that’s all I need to see. I’ve seen the clips… man. I’ve spoken to some guys in Holland, friends. The kid has got it.”
Harry Maguire signed a new contract to stay at Man Utd until at least the end of next season, and Ferdinand admits he was wrong to tell the centre-back to sign for West Ham in 2023, when he was struggling for minutes at Old Trafford. Ferdinand added, “He was tossed about, I think he was offered to West Ham and various other clubs over time, and he said no.
“And I was one of the guys who was saying: ‘go and play, go out and play.’
“And I have to give him his credit. He’s stuck by his decision, his determination, and his kind of stubbornness have gotten him to this point here.”
Scorzo’s Take
Ferdinand’s backing counts for a lot, but there is always a danger of letting hype get in the way of a real plan. United’s midfield issues are bigger than one player can solve. Putting so much pressure on a 20-year-old, no matter how talented, based on youth games and a few Eredivisie matches, is a big risk, especially for a club that spent over £200 million last summer without seeing much of a change.
Smit’s stats look good, and he has plenty of potential, but many players have come from the Dutch league only to struggle with the Premier League’s pace. Manchester United need proven, ready-to-go midfielders right now, not just players they have to wait on. Ferdinand’s admission about Maguire shows he can change his mind, and maybe he should do the same here before United rush into a big-money move based on nothing but a gut feeling.
