Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United flops should be calling each other out and ‘putting noses out of joint’ in ‘tough dressing room conversations’ as Erik ten Hag’s side slump from one miserable defeat to the next
- United crashed to a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in their latest setback
- Legend Ferdinand says some tough dressing room conversations are needed
- Man United are stuffed if captain Bruno Fernandes says he thought Bournemouth would be easy – It’s All Kicking Off
Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United’s misfiring players should be calling each other out and ‘putting noses out of joint’ as their season lurches from one setback to another.
Erik ten Hag’s side crashed to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday just days after one of their best performances of the season in beating Chelsea.
United face an uphill task to stay in the Champions League as they take on Bayern Munich on Tuesday night and Sunday sees a daunting trip to Premier League leaders and bitter rivals Liverpool.
Old Trafford legend Ferdinand believes one reason United are under-performing at the moment is because the players aren’t harsh enough on one another.
He suggested Ten Hag needs to deploy some ‘tough love’ by showing video nasties to his players after poor displays.
Manchester United slumped to another miserable defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday
Manager Erik ten Hag has plenty to sort out as United face Bayern Munich and then Liverpool
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Ferdinand told Simon Jordan on talkSPORT: ‘It looks to me there aren’t enough honest and tough conversations being had between the players.
‘Any successful side, in any sport, in any business, those uncomfortable conversations have to be had.
‘Whether it’s an argument, whether it’s in a meeting room where you’re pulling people up.
‘I don’t think there are enough people in that changing room who are willing to go out on a limb and put someone’s nose out of joint a little bit.
‘Put someone’s hair out of place a little bit with a comment about performance, about body language, about the desire you’re showing on the pitch.
‘I want a video showing certain aspects of people’s games, as a team and as individuals, and embarrassing a few people in the meeting.
‘Saying, “look at this, can you tell me that is right in a Man United shirt? That badge doesn’t deserve you to be walking, or allowing someone to walk past you and look not bothered. Jumping out of the shape we have been working on all week and then leaving people vulnerable with loads of space around them.”‘
Fernandes was made captain by Ten Hag at the beginning of the season with former skipper Harry Maguire not playing as regularly.
But the Portuguese isn’t having a vintage season and Jordan asked Ferdinand whether there might be someone better to don the armband.
United legend Ferdinand suggested the misfiring players need to be tougher on each other
Bruno Fernandes took over as United’s captain from Harry Maguire at the start of the season
The former England defender replied: ‘Who else is there? That is the biggest problem.
‘You can say he is the one you fancy or the one you don’t like. But then you look around and I reckon there would be players in that changing room who’d turn the chance to be captain down and say “nah, I don’t want it.”
‘It’s too big, the pressure is too big. They don’t want to be under the spotlight, they don’t want to be the one who goes in front of the media. Don’t want to have that responsibility.
‘Whereas I think back in the day – and it is a different time and there was more confidence because we was winning – but you’d have a queue of people asking to be the captain.
‘There were people who were disappointed not to be captain when the captaincy came up.
Things will only get tougher for United this week with Bayern and Liverpool coming up next
‘The context of where the club was then is very different but if you look around all of the clubs in football, leadership is very different now to what it was back then.
‘There isn’t many shouters, many great communicators, many loud and aggressive people willing to get people around the neck. There aren’t many of them now.
‘There were loads of those guys before.
‘The way in which you lead now, the culture is very, very different but at the same time, I don’t think it matters in terms of uncomfortable conversations to be had in a different manner.’
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