Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he is ‘worried’ about one Manchester United star just a few months on from his summer move to Old Trafford in the wake of the side’s disappointing derby performance against Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim’s side have had a less-than-impressive start to the season, going until their Premier League third match – against newly relegated Burnley – before securing a win.
But after the international break, Man United were unable to build on the victory, limping to an uninspired 3-0 defeat against their crosstown rivals on Sunday.
In the aftermath, Amorim has been bullish about his desire to continue playing his style of football, after being heavily backed by the club’s ownership in the summer transfer window.
But Man United icon Ferdinand confessed that he has his concerns about some of the new recruits, with one in particular catching the eye at the Etihad.
‘The one I’m worried about is (Benjamin) Sesko,’ Ferdinand said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. ‘He ain’t getting no chances man, he ain’t getting no opportunities, there’s nothing created for him.
‘That’s the concern. A new striker comes in the football club, gets in the team, you’ve got to think about creating chances for him.
‘Getting him on the end of things. He’s got to think about getting on the end of things. That’s something I think has got to be looked at, and fixed quick. I don’t want to think about what it could turn out to be.’
‘It’s depressing watching United like that,’ Ferdinand continued, adding that although Man United had lost to Man City in previous iterations of the squad, there was something disheartening about the weekend’s performance.
‘The way we allowed them to get in and get goals and get opportunities – it was weak, it was powderpuff, it just lacked anything.
‘I thought in the first-half, we pressed them quite well, and we had possession at times. (But then we) got in the final third, and there was zero creativity. Without Bruno (Fernandes), you’re looking at it going, “who else is going to create something – (Bryan) Mbeumo?” But there’ s no real guile.’
As well as having his doubts over creativity in attack, Ferdinand did not hold back his thoughts on where he believed bigger issues are.
‘Defensively, I thought that was the most concerning thing,’ the former defender added. ‘I’ve been quite complimentary about the defenders and the way we’ve defended it at times this season, but (during the match), I thought it was like a hot knife through butter. it was too easy.’
Ferdinand called out returning star Luke Shaw as ‘100 per cent’ at his ‘worst this season’ and noted that even the introduction of former captain Harry Maguire could not reverse proceedings.
Man United currently sit 14th in the table, but will look to drastically improve their fortunes with a tilt at the European places.
This season, Amorim’s side will go without competing overseas after finishing 15th in the standings.
The squad will also look to focus almost all of their attentions of league performances, after being handed a shock early exit from the Carabao Cup following first-round defeat to League Two strugglers Grimsby.
But Ferdinand was blunt about his belief in Man United’s chances of securing a spot in the Champions League draw next term.
‘If I sit here now and you ask me, “where will Man United finish?”, I would say probably sixth or seventh, I would be happy with it this season.
‘That’s looking like a long shot at this moment in time.’
In an even more concerning turn, Daily Mail Sport reported on Monday that Opta supercomputers gave Man United a greater chance of getting relegated than finishing in the top four next May.
