Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes new manager Ruben Amorim has the pedigree and charisma to succeed at Old Trafford.

On his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former United defender explained what separates Amorim from his predecessor Erik ten Hag.

“If Pep Guardiola had gone, I think Amorim would have been someone City would be looking at,” said former England centre-back Ferdinand.

“There are similarities with what Erik ten Hag was doing at Ajax, but what I would say is that Amorim took over a club that was in a barren spell.

“They couldn’t compete with Porto or Benfica, they hadn’t come close to winning the league. Disenchanted fans. Confusion behind the scenes. He came in there and immediately changed their luck. He changed his style of football, his style of play and expectations .

“I think the biggest difference between the two (Amorim and Ten Hag), from what I’ve heard from people who have played but also been around, is the character and charisma compared to Erik ten Hag, it will be the big difference.

“United need someone with character and charisma to say ‘you know what, I don’t care what happened here, I see a player in you, I see a player in you’. You need someone who is like that.

“This is a man who built Manuel Ugarte, who came to Manchester United. He built a £60 million player. He changed the landscape of a football club. That’s not easy to do. I don’t care what league you’re in.

“I spoke to Nani (former United teammate) the other day and he said to me: ‘Rio, the players love him, the players play for him, they love him and respect him.’

“He said Amorim is very direct and direct. Maybe there were inconsistencies in the way Ten Hag disciplined. You have to have clear lines when addressing these issues and players.”

Give your opinion on Amorim’s appointment, external