Rio Ferdinand has shared that he saw two Manchester United players putting in extra training during a recent trip to Carrington.
The Old Trafford icon visited United’s training facility last week to interview Erik ten Hag, a meeting that made him feel tense due to his separate interview with Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Ronaldo, who departed Manchester United for the second time at the end of 2022, had criticized Ten Hag’s mindset and suggested that the club needs to “rebuild everything” to return to the top.
‘The coach says they cannot compete to win the [Premier] League and Champions League,’ he told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
‘As Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League.
‘Mentally [you can] say maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try, you have to try.
‘What I wish for Manchester [United], it’s what I wish for me – [to be] the best team they can. I love that club… I’m not that kind of guy that forgot the past.’
Due to Ronaldo’s criticism of Ten Hag, Ferdinand felt uneasy before his visit to Manchester United’s training ground, but he found the Old Trafford manager to be “absolutely fine” and fully concentrated on his work.
Ferdinand noted that the atmosphere at Carrington was “as clean and pure as I’ve seen it for a while.” He was also encouraged to see Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford staying on for an additional session after the regular training had ended.
‘He [Erik ten Hag] was absolutely fine,’ Ferdinand said on his latest YouTube show. ‘I liked what I saw when I went in the other day, the environment felt as clean and as pure as I’ve seen it for a while.
‘I was walking and talking to Erik ten Hag actually after training had finished and two players were on the pitch doing extras.
‘They were cracking up and laughing, having a competition, joking around. Bruno [Fernandes] and Marcus Rashford. It warmed my heart you know, I swear.
‘We’ve talked so much about Rashford and about how he doesn’t look happy, and I’ve said it myself, we need to see a smiling, happy and joyous Rashford to see the best of him.
‘I stopped the interview at one point to look at Rashford and said, “this isn’t the Marcus I see on the weekend”, and the manager said, “This is the Marcus I see every day, that we see here, that we know.”’
Rashford, who had a poor 2023-24 campaign, opened his account for the new season in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Southampton.
Fernandes is yet to score for Manchester United this season but already has two assists. The Red Devils return to action on Tuesday in the EFL Cup against League One side Barnsley.
