Rio Ferdinand says that Manchester United need to have an “ideology” for the future in order to compete once more with Manchester City and Liverpool, and has declared his interest in a role at his former club were they to offer him a technical director job.

The 40-year-old has been sounded out by the club, along with his former team-mate Darren Fletcher, as they consider changing their management structure and said that nothing had yet been decided as to what any job would specifically entail. Speaking on Tuesday as the Football Association’s new ambassador for Euro 2020, he said that he could see a future at United when ex-players from the Sir Alex Ferguson era played a major role at the club.

Ferdinand said: "Manchester United are looking for their ideology still. They went away from it after Sir Alex Ferguson, they tried to take it on under different managers and it didn’t work so they are still searching. They need to lock down a philosophy, an ideology, but it’s not just the first team. It needs to be across the club, with younger players and the foundations, all the way through.”

He said it was important if United were to close the gap on the English game’s current powers, citing the example of Ajax and Bayern Munich where former players have key roles at the club. “There needs to be some sort of story at a football club for the stars and the staff to believe in,” he said. “Liverpool have got that – [Jürgen] Klopp has created that. City have got that – Pep [Guardiola] has created that. But they have been allowed to create it. They have had time.