Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand admits he was shocked that Erik ten Hag left Fred out of his starting line up to take on Newcastle at the weekend.
The Red Devils lost 2-0 with a poor performance at St James’ Park, loosening their grip on a place in the top four as their opponents overtook them in the table.
Ferdinand feels that leaving Fred out of the side was a big mistake, which is an interesting take given that the Brazil international has long divided opinion at Old Trafford.
Still, Ferdinand feels there was room for Fred’s physical attributes and work rate for this kind of challenging away fixture, and it seems this was one key call that Ten Hag got wrong for this game.
“I was shocked that Fred didn’t play. Understanding what’s needed and what’s required for this game, Fred has the energy, the legs, the tenacity,” Ferdinand said on Vibe with FIVE.
“When you’re at St. James’ you’ve got to have people who understand that it’s going to be a physical game and be up for it and have that energy.
“You can criticise Fred for anything but energy, sacrifice and applying himself has never been something you can throw at him as a negative. They are the things that come with Fred as part of his game.
“So I was really surprised when he didn’t start the game. But I feel as a whole team no one took the bull by the horns. They weren’t up for it.”
Ferdinand added that it seems like Man Utd have gone down a gear since winning the Carabao Cup in February, with that taste of success seeming to have a negative impact on how they’re approaching the rest of the campaign.
He added: “It seems like they’ve won the Carabao Cup and downed tools. They think they’ve done enough, that’s what it feels like.
“We were looking in a really good position [to finish in the top four]. Now it’s a lottery because no one’s got any real vein of form at the minute.”