Rio Ferdinand splits Man Utd fans' opinion after sharing Erik ten Hag social media post

Rio Ferdinand has split opinion among Manchester United fans after sharing a social media post about manager Erik ten Hag.

It has been a tumultuous week for Ten Hag and his United squad, beginning with several reporters being banned by the club from his press conference after a series of dressing room 'leaks'.

United hit back with their best performance of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Chelsea, with Scott McTominay netting a brace.

But Ten Hag has still been missing that level of performance on a consistent basis, shown by Saturday's devastating 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

The game was highlighted by a series of defensive mistakes and passing errors, with Andoni Iraola's side picking off United with a series of well-taken goals.

That inconsistency has led to question marks over both players and manager, with United now six points off the top four places and with a negative goal difference.

And Ferdinand took to X (Twitter) to share a supporter's view on Ten Hag's performance as United boss.

The supporter suggests that the Dutchman should be given more time at Old Trafford, and cited Arsenal's faith in Mikel Arteta - who finished eighth in his first full season with the club before guiding them up the table - as proof of his claims.

They wrote: "Arteta came eighth in his first and second seasons, then fifth, it is only now Arsenal are challenging.

"Klopp [with Liverpool] an eighth followed by two fourth place finishes. Why do these guys get time and Ten Hag had a miles better first season in the Prem and has had to deal with the Glazers circus."

Thoughts…..? pic.twitter.com/MjuozIr5pP

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) December 12, 2023

The post divided opinion among the United fanbase, with one responding: "Pure nonsense. Man Utd under Ten Hag already spent more than £400m with no clear style of play or proper identity."

Another said: "You could clearly see the signs or progress under both Klopp and Arteta. It wasn't about only the results but by how they were putting the team together with clarity of thought and style."

A third said: "Man Utd get extra media attention so the pressure to get results will always be more."

But another fan argued: "It's how I feel but the pressure of the press will be too much I think."

And one supporter used the example of Sir Alex Ferguson as a reason why United should stick with Ten Hag: "Fans love to talk about 'projects' and rebuilds' but never want to stick through the effort it takes to go through one."