Although the Red Devils secured a tough 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Wednesday, moving up to 14th in the Premier League standings, Ferdinand voiced concerns about the team’s overall dynamism under their new manager. ..Continue Reading
Speaking on TNT Sports, the former defender said: “[Joshua Zirkzee], [Matthijs] de Ligt, [Harry] Maguire], [Rasmus] Hojlund, it’s not their game. I think he [Amorim] needs to find those type of players with the capabilities of carrying out not only tactically what he wants, but the physicality is equally important.
He added: “I watched Sporting a few times, in Europe especially. They were an athletic, dynamic team. That was one of the staples of that team, the hallmarks of that good team that was winning things. This team aren’t a mobile, dynamic team.
“If you look through the heartbeat of this team they have other qualities but being physical, having the ability to overrun teams physically – they don’t have that capacity.”
United’s difficulties under manager Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November, have been well-documented.
The Red Devils currently sit 14 points adrift of the top four, having suffered nine defeats since the managerial change.
The shift to a 3-4-2-1 formation has been anything but smooth, with some players seeming out of their depth and the team often lacking tactical cohesion.
Although a squad overhaul is expected in the summer, financial constraints due to potential PSR sanctions might limit the extent of changes.
Patrick Dorgu, a wing-back, was the only significant signing in January, and further additions may depend on funds raised from player sales.
Wednesday’s match saw Ipswich take an early lead, as Jaden Philogene capitalized on a miscommunication between Dorgu and Andre Onana.
United equalized through a Sam Morsy own goal and took the lead with De Ligt’s close-range strike.
However, the atmosphere at Old Trafford turned sour when Dorgu was sent off for a reckless challenge on Omari Hutchinson just before halftime.
Ipswich quickly took advantage of their numerical superiority, with Philogene netting his second of the match. But United fought back in the second half, with Maguire scoring the decisive goal with a powerful header from a corner just minutes after the restart.
