Rio Ferdinand has dealt a severe blow to a report that he had offered himself for a post at Manchester United.

The former Red Devils defender was claimed to have expressed an interest in assisting Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, who is currently the frontrunner to become United's next permanent manager following a successful interview. Ferdinand responded to a tweet from a fan account on Twitter by writing: "Who is providing you with this s***! I'm going to put myself forward, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa "followed by two emojis that appear to be laughing.

Ferdinand made 445 games with the Red Devils, winning 16 trophies including six Premier League titles and one Champions League. He joined from Leeds for a British record £30million transfer fee in 2002. After retiring in 2015, the former England captain worked as a commentator and earned his coaching qualifications.

Ferdinand disclosed shortly afterwards that he had declined a number of teaching offers since his retirement and had briefly returned to boxing in 2017. Last year, his brother, Anton Ferdinand, predicted his return to football - but not in a coaching capacity.

"With the way he is as a person, I doubt he will enter management at this point. I'm sure he'd want to go in and be the greatest, and he gets that, having only ever learnt from the best in Sir Alex Ferguson "He informed Ladbrokes. "To be the best, you have to be the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave at night, which I doubt he would want to do now that he is so much more family oriented than he was while he was playing.

"He's content with his punditry because he's talking about something he's loved his entire life and is intimately familiar with, and he's really good at. I could see him becoming a director of football in some capacity. He most certainly possesses the necessary skill set and knowledge to perform that type of work.

"Anyone who knows Rio intimately understands that what you see on television is exactly how he is. He enjoys a good laugh and a joke, yet he is serious when he is working. He'll always be one of the first people in the dressing room to crack a joke, but when the situation becomes serious, he puts on his game face."

While Ferdinand's appointment as director of football at United appears remote at the moment, Ten Hag's chances of succeeding temporary manager Ralf Rangnick in the dugout are improving. The Ajax manager has been interviewed by the Old Trafford leadership and is vying for the Old Trafford job alongside fellow contender Mauricio Pochettino.

The Red Devils are also interested in Spanish pair Jule Lopetegui and Luis Enrique, but Ten Hag is believed to be Rangnick's first choice, who will assist in the process and serve as a consultant for the club for at least two years following his supervision of United's final nine Premier League games.

The acclaimed German coach has already heaped praise on Ten Hag's pedigree, telling Sky Sports: "I don't know him personally, but I've seen how Ajax have developed under his leadership. I'm aware of his work at Bayern Munich, and it's obvious he's one of Europe's top coaches, but there are a few others. We haven't discussed any new manager thus far, and thus haven't discussed him."