- Ferdinand left the club along with long-term partner Nemanja Vidic in 2014
- He pointed out two players who should have stayed at the club after his departure
- Erik ten Hag has been misled. I don’t think anyone sees him staying at the end of the season… It all starts podcast
Rio Ferdinand has revealed two players he believes Manchester United mis-sold.
United’s mixed season continued this weekend as they lost the Manchester derby to rivals City, despite taking an early lead and only falling behind ten minutes from time.
They sit sixth in the Premier League and are eleven points away from a Champions League spot. It is unclear what the future holds for the Red Devils following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment.
The club has struggled in recent years and this season has felt somewhat like a transition campaign as the team has struggled with a number of injuries, especially in defence.
And that is the area of the team that Ferdinand is talking about FIVEwhich he pointed out when outlining two players he believes should not have been sold by his former side.
Rio Ferdinand has revealed two players he believes should never have left Manchester United
United have struggled to find players who can play regularly in their defense since Ferdinand left the club alongside Nemanja Vidic (not pictured)
The former defender said Chris Smalling (left) and Jonny Evans (right) were United’s best defenders at the time of his departure
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“I’ve said this many times: it was a travesty that they sold Jonny Evans,” Ferdinand said. ‘He should never have left.
‘He was the best defender, the best centre-back, when I left. When me and (Nemanja) Vidic walked out the door, the experience, the old-timers, were gone, he was the best defender you have. I just couldn’t believe he was allowed to leave.
‘Him and Chris Smalling, to be honest. I don’t think they should have left, I thought they knew the structure of the club. You need those kinds of people.’
Ferdinand and Vidic (left) were former of United’s best defensive partnerships in the club’s history
Ferdinand left United in 2014 and joined QPR before calling time on his career a year later. Vidic, who made 197 appearances alongside Ferdinand, left the same summer, forcing the Red Devils to reshuffle their defence.
Evans, meanwhile, left in 2015, while Smalling permanently left for Roma in 2020 after a year on loan to the Italian team.
United conceded six fewer league goals the year after the departures of Ferdinand and Vidic, but have since looked for a defensive partnership to take them forward.
Smalling spent ten years at United before joining Roma permanently in the summer of 2020
Evans has now rejoined the club after spells at West Brom and Leicester
The likes of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly came for significant sums but it didn’t work out, and a record fee was paid for Harry Maguire, who is a squad player and former club captain.
Evans has since returned as a replacement for Lisandro Martinez, who United hope will be a long-term answer on the left of their back four.
On the right, however, Raphael Varane has been in and out of the squad and it is likely that the club will spend money again to improve the position in the summer.