Manchester United legend accuses critics of being ‘disrespectful’ to Jose Mourinho

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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has accused critics of Jose Mourinho of being disrespectful to the Red Devils manager because of his style of play.

Mourinho is not exactly Mr Popular at Old Trafford right now, with the general feeling among fans and a number of former players being that he’s under-achieved at the club so far.

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The Portuguese tactician took over last season and didn’t get off to the most convincing start despite winning three trophies in the form of the Community Shield, the EFL Cup and the Europa League.

United ended up finishing 6th in the Premier League and playing an uninspiring brand of football, with Mourinho not exactly known throughout his career for building particularly entertaining sides.

Many at United would argue that’s not good enough at a club with proud attacking traditions, but Ferdinand believes defensive football isn’t appreciated enough.

The pundit stood up for Mourinho and accused those criticising him of showing disrespect as he’s taken the club forward by getting them up to 2nd in the league this year, while he also tips them as the favourites in the FA Cup final this weekend.

‘Sometimes people are bit disrespectful if you are a defensive-natured coach – it’s still an art form in the game,’ Ferdinand told the Sun.

‘The way to look at it with Mourinho is, has this team improved from last year?

‘Well the league table does not lie so yes the team has.’

On the cup final, he said: ‘I fancy Manchester United to win the game.’

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