Rio Ferdinand concerned by Man Utd deadline day deal after learning key transfer detail

Rio Ferdinand has been left concerned after learning Manchester United failed to include an obligation to buy clause in Jadon Sancho's switch to Aston Villa. The winger was one of several stars to secure a move away from Old Trafford on deadline day as Ruben Amorim successfully reduced his United squad.

Sancho finalised a season-long loan switch to Villa, mirroring Marcus Rashford's path from last season. Rashford's stint under Unai Emery saw the 27-year-old earn an England recall and subsequently sealed a Barcelona loan move this summer. Sancho will be hoping to replicate his team-mate's achievements at Villa Park.

Sancho was among several players wanting to leave the Red Devils this summer and attracted interest from other clubs before agreeing to his Villa switch on deadline day. It represents the third loan exit of Sancho's United career, having not appeared for the club since the 2024 Community Shield, but club legend Ferdinand was surprised to learn that Sancho could potentially return to Old Trafford.

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Speaking about United's departures, he asked on his : "Ain't Sancho's got an obligation to buy at the end of it? No? Oh, don't like that."

United included a £38m obligation to buy as part of Rasmus Hojlund's move to Napoli, which also saw the club receive a £5.2m loan fee. No such obligation was agreed as part of Sancho's departure, with Villa agreeing to pay 80 per cent of his wages, plus achievable bonuses. However, Ferdinand backed the club's strategy to move on unhappy players.

"I said this ages ago, if you're going to take massive losses on these players, take them. Just to get out," Ferdinand argued. "I don't think you can think about the financials too much if you're going to have them around the place and let them be a bad smell around the place. No, get rid. I don't care.

"The squad is the most important thing. Keeping the harmony and ambience in the squad is the be-all and end-all if you're going to make strides to be a more positive football club, where you aren't going to have those distractions around.

"The last thing anyone needs is Garnacho, Rashford, Sancho, Antony, etc. being around the place and having to train separately. There's always going to be an undercurrent of a negative story hanging around the place, if they stayed. So I think it's good for everybody that they've got out."

Sancho has reached the final 12 months of his United deal, though the club possess an option to extend his contract by another year. This means United could still recover funds for Sancho depending on his displays at Villa, instead of departing as a free agent.

The England winger was considered one of Europe's most promising talents when he arrived at United for £72.8m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. He struggled to meet expectations at Old Trafford, scoring 12 goals and registering six assists across 83 appearances.

Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan last January and started the 2024 Champions League final, but no permanent move materialised. Last season, the 25-year-old scored five times and provided n 10 assists across 41 appearances for Chelsea as he helped the Blues secure a top-four finish and win the Europa Conference League. However, Chelsea chose to pay a £5m penalty after backing out of their £25m obligation to buy Sancho.

While it remains uncertain whether Villa will become the winger's next permanent destination, he is excited about the prospect of working under Emery. "When I spoke to the manager he gave me belief and confidence," Sancho told Villa's club website.

"He showed me the plan of what they want to achieve this year and it really inspired me. He definitely persuaded me, and I can't wait to work under him."

Discussing how Rashford's stint at Villa swayed his choice, Sancho added: "I spoke to him while he was here last season and I know he really enjoyed it. He said so many lovely things about the club, like how it's a family and you feel that friendly environment with great players and staff. I definitely felt that as I came in."

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