Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction to Jamie Carragher's claim that Fernando Torres 'tortured' Nemanja Vidic on the pitch

Rio Ferdinand has revealed Sir Alex Ferguson’s response to Jamie Carragher suggesting that Fernando Torres tormented Nemanja Vidic on the pitch.

Carragher staunchly came to the defence of Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool star was heavily criticised in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal earlier this month.

The Sky Sports pundit boldly claimed that Van Dijk, who has come under immense pressure this season over his form, is “far better” than Vidic.

Carragher tweeted: “VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top centre-back -- have you [forgotten] his performances against Torres?”

He added: “Rio and JT [John Terry] had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No centre-back in the Premier League era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.

“Never mind the best centre-back in the league, he’s been the best player in the league along with Kevin de Bruyne for four years before this one.

“We have never spoken about about [sic] other centre-backs’s being the best player before, that shows the level he was at.”

Ferdinand defended former United teammate Vidic and dismissed the “myth” that Torres had his number during his Liverpool playing days.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five show, Ferdinand told Vidic what legendary former United manager Ferguson thought of Carragher’s scathing assessment.

“Jamie Carragher came out the other day saying that Torres tortured Vidic all the time and that Van Dijk’s better, etc,” he said to Ferguson.

“Do you go along with that? I looked at a stat the other day: 15 times we played against Torres, only three goals he scored.”

Responding to Ferdinand, Ferguson said: “Well, there’s a problem with what he’s talking about. [Vidic] brought [Torres] down twice when he was through on goal, so it looks like he was tortured from that respect.

“The second sending off was a bit unfair. He sort of grappled with him at Old Trafford and then got sent off.

“So I think Carragher’s saying the fact [Vidic] was sent off twice against [Torres] -- once at Anfield, once at Old Trafford -- suggests that he tortured him.

“Like all centre-forwards [Torres] had his qualities, but I wouldn’t say he was the best centre-forward that ever played against Vidic. Far from it.

“There’s a certain inclination and suggestion that because Vidic was sent off against him [Torres] had tortured him. But you know, one tackle can get you sent off.”

READ MORE:

• Nemanja Vidic explains biggest problem with Harry Maguire’s captaincy
• Nemanja Vidic accuses Wayne Rooney of relying on ‘pure talent’
• Nemanja Vidic reveals he could have signed for Man United’s rivals ahead of Old Trafford move

Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jamie Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson, Fernando Torres, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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