Rio Ferdinand demands Man Utd players start to lead as Ten Hag hits out at ‘rumours’
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand says now is not the time for excuses and the senior players have to step up and be leaders on the pitch.
United slumped to a 1-0 defeat against relegation battlers Everton on Saturday. The defeat leaves their Champions League hopes dangling by a thread. They remain six points behind Tottenham who currently sit in fourth spot.
Ferdinand said rival teams would be “bouncing” after seeing the United result. Spurs proved him right as they romped to a 4-0 win at Aston Villa later in the day.
Rio Ferdinand calls for leadership
Arsenal lost at home to Brighton but Ferdinand says United need to focus on themselves. Going in to the game the former defender feared United would not get a result and that is how it turned out.
Everton went in to the game on the back of a disastrous 3-2 loss to relegation rivals Burnley. They had lost three of the last four games but came out fighting to get the win.
“How bad Everton have been in terms of results and the position they are in, I still wasn’t sure that Man Utd would not get a result today,” he told BT Sport.
“And that tells you a lot about where Man Utd are. Very unpredictable and you don’t know what you are going to get out of them. Individually or as a collective team. It is not a good place to be especially when you are trying to qualify for the Champions League.”
There still remains plenty of uncertainty around the club. The appointment of a new manager appears to be no nearer a conclusion. And players are unsure about their own futures.
But Ferdinand is not having that as an excuse. He pointed to the way the United team he played in handled the Glazers’ saga. And he wants the same from the current bunch.
“Uncertainty isn’t great at any level. You expect it to be organised, but we are where we are,” he added. “Man Utd have to get results, the players have to disassociate themselves with what goes on off pitch. You don’t get yourselves involved in that.
“You have got to get your head away from that. As players, the experienced players have to lead this. There are no excuses, we have got things to do. We have a champions league position to play for.”
Ten Hag bristles at rumours
The disastrous defeat came on the same day Erik ten Hag batted away questions over his future. The Ajax coach appeared agitated when quizzed about the latest situation, claiming it’s all “rumours”.
“I am not reacting to rumours,” he bristled before the reporter moved on.
He does remain in the box seat however. The latest reports claim that the delay is down to the fact Ten Hag wants complete control over all things transfers. That includes who comes and goes along with contract renewals.
READ MORE: ‘It is incredible’; Ten Hag pupil reveals just what Man Utd will be getting
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