London, May 1: Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is the latest candidates to be linked with the role of becoming United's first-ever technical director, according to reports.

The Red Devils plan to revamp their recruitment policy following recent massive transfer failures. United have not had any technical lead in their 140-year history but just like the other Premier League sides Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal etc, they are now expected to follow the footprint that has worked quite well for them.

Mike Phelan, who returned to Old Trafford to assist Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was earlier linked with the technical director position but according to Sky Sports News, Ferdinand is now one of a number of candidates being considered for the position while Phelan would be given a role in coaching aspect.

#mufc will adopt a transfer committee style approach to recruitment. Woodward has held talks with figures including Rio Ferdinand, Darren Fletcher and Mike Phelan #mulive [telegraph]

— utdreport (@utdreport) April 30, 2019

Ferdinand has reportedly already held talks with Ed Woodward over a return to Old Trafford and is said to have impressed the CEO during their talks, in particular with his understanding of what is required at the club going forward.

United want a candidate who recognises the culture of the club and it makes Ferdinand, who spent 12 years as a player at Old Trafford, an engaging choice.

Moreover, as a former teammate of Solskjaer, it is believed that the pair could work well together and their vision of identifying areas of the squad that need addressing and attaining the right players to fill those positions as part of a long-term, comprehensive and strategic approach, is similar.

Although United have spoken with several candidates and have yet to make a final decision on who will take up the position. The Red Devils have also been linked with a move for RB Leipzig's head of recruitment Paul Mitchell, who previously worked for Southampton and Tottenham while current Ajax CEO and former United keeper Van Der Sar is also touted as another potential candidate for the role.

But apparently United are now keen to promote more former players to take prominent roles at Old Trafford, a model which has proved successful on the continent at clubs such as Ajax, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Apart from Ferdinand, United could also hand another former Red Devils, Darren Fletcher a position in management who is set to retire after the ongoing season while talks of offering Paul Scholes a role is also doing rounds.