Rio Ferdinand asks Manchester United to sign striker compared to Filippo Inzaghi

Manchester United have been asked to spend a good chunk of their summer transfer budget on Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Rio Ferdinand insisting that he will be a fantastic signing for his former club.

The Red Devils currently rely on veteran forward Edinson Cavani in the number nine position with Anthony Martial yet to convince he can offer a consistent threat in the same role.

United have been linked with a move for a number of top marksmen including Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland. It is a position manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could look to bolster in the summer.

Ferdinand believes Calvert-Lewin will offer a similar threat to the aforementioned forwards after shining for Everton in the last two seasons. Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti is said to have even mentioned legendary Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi's name as a potential comparison.

"Listen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin for me, I love him," Ferdinand told his Five YouTube channel, as quoted on Goal. "I've watched a lot of Everton this year and he's one that unnerves defenders. He's not one you want to play against week in, week out. He's aggressive, he attacks the ball."

"I was speaking to Carlo Ancelotti earlier this year and he mentioned [Filippo] Inzaghi and said he didn't need many chances to score goals and he scores goals in and around the six-yard box."

"I look at Calvert-Lewin this season and he's listened to that, he's taken that on board. Obviously, he seems a real good student of the game and he's started putting that into his own game," he added.

"We've seen the rewards he's had, he's got into the England squad by scoring loads of goals in and around the six-yard box, scoring those ugly goals. I think he'd be a fantastic signing for Manchester United.

"It's one out of left field a little bit but I think he'd have a big impact. He'd get on the end of the things created by Fernandes, Pogba, [Marcus] Rashford, [Mason] Greenwood, etc."

Calvert-Lewin has scored 19 goals in all competitions for Everton this season as they look to book a place in Europe. The Toffees are currently in eighth place on the Premier League table and it remains to be seen if they will entertain bids for one of their top stars, especially if they make it into the Europa League next season.