Rio Ferdinand is “so gutted” Manchester United missed out on a “bad” big-money teenager they were “100% in for” in the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils signed Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos for a combined £163m as the club chiefs focused purely on a midfield rebuild after concentrating on the attack a year before.

It’s been suggested that Baleba is the only one of the three that was near the top of a wishlist which included Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, who joined Manchester City and Tottenham respectively, as top targets.

But Ferdinand insists his former side may come to really regret missing out on Ayyoub Bouaddi, whom City signed for £86m from Lille, after his second-half cameo in last week’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

“Did you see when Ayyoub Bouaddi came on? This is why I was talking about him over the last year and during the summer transfer window,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

“He came on and showed PSG that they may have missed out on someone who was on their doorstep when he was playing in France.

“He turned 19 this month, right? His transfer fee is the same as [Andrey] Santos and [Youri] Tielemans combined. Manchester United were in for him, 100%, but the fee was just too much.

“Just that little cameo against PSG makes you go, ‘oh, I can’t believe we missed out on that. I can’t believe it.’ I’m so gutted, so gutted. He’s bad! He’s so calm under pressure.

“Man City have got that many games that then can share the load about. Because of his age you can just dip him in and out but sooner rather than later that’s not going to fly with him because he’s an incredible footballer.

“They’ve got Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez is that midfield as well but this kid could be the best of the three, easily.”

Ferdinand’s nailed on Man Utd starter

Meanwhile, Ferdinand has told Manchester United boss Michael Carrick that he has to keep starting Leny Yoro after the young defender’s standout display in the 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday.

He said: “I thought the first half was really solid, really sound, kept the opposition chances to a minimum.

“I thought Leny Yoro, especially in the first half, defending the back post was top drawer. He looks like he’s growing in confidence and he looks like he just needs a run in the team now.

“I don’t know what position he’ll make his own first but he will go ‘I just have to be in this team’.

“If he just continues playing the way he is and continues to get games, I don’t care who gets back fit now I think he needs stay in the team, prove his worth.

“I think every week he looks stronger, I thought in Madrid he looked solid, the game before for France he was outstanding at centre-back and he comes back with a new-found confidence and I think that’s good for Manchester United.

“The way he defended those crosses at the back post and in those away games you’ve got to have people willing to put their bodies there and I thought today in that sense especially he was top class.”