Rio Ferdinand has sent a warning to Arsenal about the threat of Manchester United ahead of next weekend’s Premier League clash at the Emirates.
The Red Devils came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in Saturday’s derby with late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
United have now won 21 of their 28 matches under Erik ten Hag, moving one point behind Man City in the Premier League and six behind leaders Arsenal, who face north London rivals Tottenham tomorrow, and United next weekend.
United are the only side to have beaten Arsenal this campaign, with Ten Hag’s team clinching a 3-1 victory over the Gunners back in September.
Ferdinand is hopeful United can produce a similar result in north London and says their team’s style of play will be ‘a problem’ for Arteta’s Arsenal.
Looking ahead to the Premier League game after the Manchester derby, Ferdinand told Vibe with Five: ‘I just think the way Manchester United play, we’re a problem for Arsenal. Today we were a problem for Man City too.
‘I think Arsenal will have most of the ball but in the transitions, United are so dangerous. Even under Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] that was the case.
- Why Bruno Fernandes goal vs Man City was allowed to stand despite Rashford being offside
- Rio Ferdinand convinced Maguire is pushing for Man Utd exit
- Erik ten Hag rejected chance to sign Chelsea star instead of Lisandro Martinez
‘But even more so now because we’re more structured and harder to break down. Man City didn’t have that many chances.
‘There’s been a fragility with Manchester United in the last few seasons. Going 1-0 down against City, in past seasons you would have felt like walking out.
‘But today they didn’t panic, they remained resilient and came back really well.’
Ferdinand added: ‘The man of the match for me was Luke Shaw. In the latter stages of the game, he was heading it away, intercepting passes, keeping calm.
‘Everyone questioned him playing at centre-back but he’s basically saying: “I’ll play anywhere for you and give you 8/10 performances every week.’ He’s been great.’
United have not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 and Ferdinand wants to see more from Ten Hag’s team before labelling them as title contenders.
‘I’m staying calm and collected,’ he said when asked if he believed United could rival Arsenal and Man City for the title.
‘We’re in the shake-up right now and Champions League football is looking much more positive for next season. ‘Let’s see where the next couple of weeks take us and maybe then we can revisit the title talk.’
