Rio Ferdinand was a key member of the last Manchester United defence that achieved European glory. Along with Nemanja Vidic, the pair set the standard as they formed the best defensive pairing Europe had to offer in 2008.
The pundit has revealed the two players his former club should not have sold.
Our league success has completely dried up since our last triumph in 2013 when Ferdinand still played for the club. Since then, however, we’ve fallen way behind and our defence is causing problems.
Ferdinand believes the sale of two key defenders contributed to United’s decline, with the side now sitting in sixth place and eight points off the top four. He described the departures of Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling as a “travesty” via FIVE.
The footballer-turned-pundit said (as quoted by the Daily Star): “I’ve said this many times, it was a travesty that they sold Jonny Evans. He should never have been allowed to leave.
“He was the best defender, the best centre back, when I left. When me and [Nemanja] Vidic walked out the door, the experience, the old timers, we were gone, he was the best defender that you’ve got. I just couldn’t believe that he was allowed to leave.
“Him and Chris Smalling, to be fair. I don’t believe they should have been allowed to leave, I thought they knew the fabric of the club. You need those types.”
Smalling was offloaded to Roma in 2020 after a year on loan in Serie A.
Meanwhile, Evans was allowed to leave for West Brom in 2015. He went on to play for Leicester City before returning to Old Trafford as a veteran last summer.
The only defender from our squad that I would call world-class is Lisandro Martinez. Not only is that telling, he has been out injured for most of the season.
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