Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand believes the Red Devils’ failure to secure the signing of Paul Pogba could hurt the morale of the side.

United have been close to the signing of the Juventus midfielder for some time but with the completion of the deal yet to be announced, an air of uncertainty has begun to set in.

Ferdinand believes the excitement currently surrounding the club would inevitably lead to disappointment should the club fail to secure the marquee player.

‘As a player in the changing room, you’ve been thinking for so long: “He’s coming, he’s coming”,’ Ferdinand told The Independent.

‘If he doesn’t sign it could have an adverse effect mentally on the players in the changing room. For a short period of time at least. It’s important they sign him,’ the former defender insisted.

United are widely believed to have offered a world record £100-million fee for the 23-year-old midfielder, a player they infamously let leave on a free just four years ago.

Ferdinand, however, is not too perturbed by the ‘bad business’ of the fee as he likened it to Chelsea’s re-signing of defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic.

‘If he goes there for £100-million and in 10 years he wins five titles and earns £100-million worth in shirts sales, you’ll say “well done, good business,” Ferdinand countered.

Pogba made 41 appearances for Juventus last term scoring nine times and assisting a further 12.