Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand makes return to the club’s ‘more positive’ training ground

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has praised Erik ten Hag for helping bring about dramatic positive changes at the club’s training ground in Carrington.

The club’s legendary central defender was photographed in Carrington, where he used to train largely under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at the club from 2002 to 2014, on Monday.

Ferdinand, who won the Champions League and six Premier League titles with United, was in Carrington as a BT Sport pundit to interview Bruno Fernandes ahead of United’s Europa League second leg with Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday, with the scores set at 2-2 after the first leg at the Camp Nou.

But Ferdinand couldn’t resist taking another look at the pitch and insists he’s felt a big change for the better at the club, which is approaching a decade without a title since Ferguson’s departure.

“The vibes at Carrington and Old Trafford have changed dramatically,” he said on his YouTube show FIVE.

Rio Ferdinand returned to Manchester United to interview midfielder Bruno Fernandes

Ferdinand took another look at his old Carrington training ground on Monday.

Ferdinand praised the atmosphere at Carrington (pictured greeting striker Wout Weghorst)

‘It has become more positive, the atmosphere in the place. Even the cafeteria has changed. It’s like everything has changed. It looks different, it feels different, the food is different. The feeling when you walk in, I’ve had very negative vibes. [in the past] when I’ve walked the halls of the training ground.

“I was alone, walking back through the training ground, through the halls, and I just stood there and just smiled. I can feel that something is happening here now. I don’t know what it is or where it goes, but the atmosphere is very different. There is trust in place.

‘And trust isn’t just about the players, it’s about the staff. I can feel something with the staff. They are more optimistic, happy to be at work every day. And all of that has been generated and created by Erik ten Hag and his management team and some people behind the scenes, because no one person can change the entire culture of a football club – it’s a collective approach.

Under Ten Hag, United have made big improvements on the pitch, with the club currently third in the Premier League table and with an outside shot at the title as they are five points behind leaders Arsenal after having played one more game.

In addition, on Sunday he also has a League Cup final with Newcastle United – where he can win his first trophy since 2017 – and is also in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

“It’s the right path at the moment and since they’re still in contention for four trophies, I don’t think they’re going to win four.” It’s nice to go to Carrington and Old Trafford and feel more optimistic than negative.

Ferdinand was delighted to see a member of staff, Kath, who has worked at the club for 56 years.

Ferdinand is a familiar face at Carrington who played for United between 2002 and 2014. He is pictured above with his teammates training for a Champions League match in October 2012.

Ferdinand praised Erik ten Hag for the positive changes he had brought to the club.

United faces a great week that begins with the second leg of their clash against Barcelona

He added: ‘The atmosphere when they’re training, doing the rounds, there’s a different energy that I haven’t seen in a long time, it’s not like I’ve been there a lot.

Ferdinand tweeted about his Monday trip down memory lane where he met up with familiar faces, saying: “Good to be back in Carrington today… Great to see Kath, 56 years at the club and still going strong! !”

Part of Ten Hag’s success with United has been the key members within his coaching staff, with Benni McCarthy receiving widespread praise for helping to bring out the best in Marcus Rashford and other United stars.

However, despite the good mood around Old Trafford supporters, next season they are expected to be hit with a five per cent increase to their season ticket prices from next term.