Rio Ferdinand praises Manchester United for signing Carlos Baleba

Manchester United secured midfielder Carlos Baleba this summer for a reported £70 million fee. The club previously showed interest in the 22-year-old but refused to meet Brighton & Hove Albion's reported asking price of over £115 million last year. Rio Ferdinand noted that Manchester United faced financial constraints in the transfer window, preventing the club from pursuing priority targets like Elliot Anderson, who moved to Manchester City. While Baleba is currently recovering from an ankle injury, he is expected to return to fitness by the end of this month. Along with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Baleba joins the squad to provide midfield depth for the team's Champions League campaign. Ferdinand expects the player to eventually replace Casemiro in the starting lineup.

• 5:05 PMYahoo Sports — Rio Ferdinand lauds INEOS for bagging a 30% off bargain in summer transfer swoop