Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was ‘shocked’ by one thing in training.
Ferdinand, 46, is a Man United legend and made 455 appearances for the 20-time Premier League champions, a period in which he helped the Red Devils win six league titles, a Champions League crown and three League Cups.
Now, the former England defender regularly works in the media on TNT Sports’ European football coverage and co-hosts the popular podcast ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’.
He often talks about the current state of Man Utd with the side currently 13th in the English top flight – which would be their lowest-ever Premier League finish if they remained in the same spot at the end of the campaign.
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Since Amorim, 40, arrived at the club in November 2024, his side’s fortunes haven’t improved and he currently boasts a record of six wins, five draws and nine losses in his 20 Premier League matches in charge.
And Ferdinand has claimed the former Sporting CP boss is ‘shocked’ by a particular thing in training.
“I think one of the biggest surprises for him [Amorim], when he started looking at the data and then being at the training ground, seeing the players day in and day out and then getting to the games would’ve been how far off physically they are to all the other teams,” said Ferdinand on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
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“The ability to play at a high intensity, with speed, with that physical durability throughout 90 minutes consistently," he added. "I think Man United are way off.
“We [United] don’t have enough dynamic players to compete man-to-man all over the pitch, with enough maybe all of the Premier League teams."
United's squad has been ravaged by injuries throughout the campaign with the likes of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo and several others sustaining injuries and missing lengthy periods as a result.
Defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt also picked up knocks during last Sunday's 0-0 draw against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
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"We cannot lose any more players, we have to try to divide the moments between the players," Amorim said after the match.
"We have a really important game on Thursday."
United return to action on Thursday with a tough test in the Europa League quarter-finals against Ligue 1 outfit Lyon in France.
Topics: Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand, Ruben Amorim, Premier League, Football
Luke Davies