Rio Ferdinand has urged Ruben Amorim to make Man United‘s stars ‘uncomfortable’ and stick with his tactical approach despite their struggling form.
A miserable 2-0 Monday night defeat at home by Newcastle leaves the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League and just seven points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
To make matters worse, questions are already being asked over Amorim’s tactical approach – with the side now having suffered four consecutive defeats.
However, former United defender Ferdinand has insisted that the former Sporting Lisbon boss should stick with his guns to get them out of their current rut.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, he said: ‘You look at him and you go, ‘He still seems quite confident [in the] long-term. He’s not going to change his short-term ideas’. And I totally agree.
‘If he changes and goes back to what they were doing before… it’s not like they were winning! So why would he go back to what the players are more comfortable with.
Ruben Amorim’s Man United side suffered their fourth defeat in a row on Monday evening
Questions have asked as to whether United have the personnel to play Amorim’s system
Ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand has urged Amorim to stick with the 3-4-3 approach
‘I think his whole thinking – and I’ve got to agree with him – is that, if this team were trained and understood the system, then I think they have a chance of being able to carry out what he wants’.
‘I don’t think we can expect Amorim to go back to type, to what they were playing before, to try and steady the ship. Because it wasn’t a steady ship anyway.
‘I genuinely believe he has to keep doing what he’s doing. He said there’s going to be teething problems – maybe not as much as what we’re getting now – but I don’t think he understood what he was getting into.
‘The scars that a lot of the players have as individuals – and as a team – are so big and so deep, it’s going to take a lot of time to get back’.
After defeat against the Magpies, a number of United players were put under the microscope by pundits – including central defender Lisandro Martinez.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested that the Argentine was the weak link among the United side and said that he didn’t fit into a back-three system.
However, now, Ferdinand has suggested there are two other names that are a bigger priority to replace within United’s squad.
‘I think we’re looking at two players in this team who came under a lot of criticism after yesterday; Casemiroand Eriksen.
Ferdinand insisted that the Portuguese boss has to ‘keep doing what he’s doing’ at United
Ferdinand also picked out Christian Eriksen and Casemiro as issues within United’s squad
‘One of the key elements to this system is that it needs legs and it needs physicality. And Eriksen and Casemiro, that’s probably two of the weakest parts of their games, so that doesn’t help.
‘But I would still argue that if they were able to train and he was able to implement his philosophies, then those two players wouldn’t look so out of place.
‘So I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘Let’s get two more mobile players in there and it’ll all be better’. I still think we’ll have the same issues’.
As Ferdinand dissected the issues that remain at United, his mind was cast back to the tenure of Ralf Rangnick – who interim manager for 29 games in 2021-22.
The German coach, at the time, insisted that United needed ‘open heart surgery’ in order to rebuild the squad.
The comments were made in April 2022 after United slipped to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield in one of Rangnick’s final matches at the helm.
Following that match he said: ‘We need positive energy for the new team and the new manager.
Former caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick claimed United had to perform ‘open heart surgery’
‘It’s not the manager’s quality – it’s changing all the other things that have brought the club into a position we are in right now.
‘You don’t even need glasses to see the problems. Now it’s only about how you can solve them. Not minor cosmetic things. This is an open heart operation. If everyone realises this has to happen and works together, it doesn’t need to take years’.
Reflecting on those comments, Ferdinand said: ‘Ralf Rangnick said this needs open heart surgery, not a quick fix. He weren’t wrong!
‘How true are those words ringing now? He was vilified and ridiculed when he said those words. He was so right. And I think Amorim would sit there behind closed doors and would be thinking the same thing’.