“Didn’t you see my style of play last season?” - Manchester United boss Ten Hag involved in cold interview with Rio Ferdinand after Fulham win
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was involved in a testy interview with Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand following a 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday, November 4.
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes' late moment of magic secured all three points for Ten Hag's side. However, it was far from a convincing showing from the Red Devils.
It has been a week to forget for Manchester United following two back-to-back 3-0 thrashings at home against Manchester City and Newcastle United. Following the win, Rio Ferdinand asked Ten Hag about his style of play, to which the Dutchman offered a cold response.
He said, as per Express Sport:
"With all due respect, didn't we see it last season?"
Ferdinand replied:
"Last season I saw it but this season we haven't."
Ten Hag then insisted that injuries have played a major role in his side's dip in form this campaign, saying:
"This season, no, not quite, but people should know why. It's because we have so many injuries. Every time we have to swap a player in and out, the routines they're used to won't be exactly there, and that is what you're seeing at this moment in our team."
The Manchester United manager also suggested that his side will eventually get better once they recover from the injury crisis. He added:
"Obviously, we need to be winning games; that's not an excuse, but when there are players that aren't available, the roles won't be the same. We have good players, but they can't play the same position with different people in every lineup. Once we're healed, then we'll play better."
Manchester United find themselves eighth in the table with 18 points in 11 games and already trail league leaders Manchester City by nine points. They finished third last season but things haven't quite worked out so far this campaign.
Rio Ferdinand heaps praise on 2 Manchester United stars after win at Fulham
Former Manchester United defender and club icon Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes following the 1-0 win against Fulham. The Red Devils got back to winning ways courtesy of Fernandes' dramatic late goal.
Following the win, Ferdinand hailed Manchester United captain Fernandes and former captain Harry Maguire. He told TNT Sports (via Mirror):
"The captain stood up. We needed a big performance, we needed a goal. Critical time against Burnley after the Champions League defeat, he stepped up. Today they needed somebody to step out of the shadows and get into the spotlight. That was him. He took responsibility. A fantastic strike."
He added:
"He (Maguire) deserves special mention as well. Head injury in the first couple of seconds of the game, battled his way through. It’s not about performances, there wasn’t a good performance there today. But they got the three points and that’s the most important thing."
Harry Maguire has managed to revive his status at the club after an injury to Lisandro Martinez paved the way for his return. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes continues to make a difference on the pitch and has now contributed with three goals and two assists in 11 league games this season.