Ferdinand: Rooney would have made the difference for Spurs

Rooney, 24, had appeared set to quit Old Trafford after he released a statement on Wednesday saying he wanted to leave due to the club's lack of business in the transfer market, and was linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

And Ferdinand, who is now a member of the coaching staff at White Hart Lane, insisted that the North London club need to be competing for top players such as Rooney, in order to challenge for honours at home and in Europe.

NEWS:Ferdinand - Spurs can compete in Europe

"If we want to win the Premier League and compete in the Champions League, we’ve got to go after the best players,” Ferdinand told talkSPORT.

"And if Wayne Rooney became available it would be interesting to see if we could go for him.”

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had already expressed interest in the United striker, joking that the 24-year-old would not come cheap.

Ferdinand believed that signing Rooney, who has less than two years left on his current contract, could have been the difference in Spurs lifting their first Premier League trophy.

"For years Spurs have been known as a selling club but if you look at our squad, we’ve arguably got the best squad in the Premier League.

"Harry wants to add one or two quality players to that and, if he can do that, we’ll have a serious chance of challenging for the Premier League.”

By Vaishali Bhardwaj