Ferdinand: I'd have dragged Sanches by the hair to United

Renato Sanches would've been playing for Manchester United if former defender Rio Ferdinand had his way.

The 19-year-old phenom completed a sneaky €35-million move to Bayern Munich in May before going on to play a starring role in Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph.

He was named Young Player of the Tournament for his displays in his country's midfield after spending the majority of the group stage on the bench.

United appeared poised to sign Sanches before Bayern made the swoop, but previous manager Louis van Gaal didn't act quick enough.

"If I was a Man United scout, Renato Sanches would already be at the club," Ferdinand told A Bola, as translated by the BBC. "Renato is a modern player: aggressive, strong, powerful, got technique, can shoot and pass. I like him. I'd have dragged him by his hair and said, 'Let's go!'"

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed United had lodged a "firm offer" to sign the teenager from Benfica, but because the Red Devils were about to appoint Jose Mourinho as Van Gaal's successor, a deal couldn't be reached in time.

Mourinho has since said he would've "fought" for Sanches after keeping a close eye on him at Benfica.

In the end, the Portuguese boss made four big signings to start his Old Trafford tenure, spending close to £150 million to bring in Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Paul Pogba.

Dogged by injury to start the season, Sanches has made just four Bundesliga starts for Bayern thus far.