England players ‘unimpressed’ by Rio Ferdinand’s ‘unfair criticism’

Ferdinand has criticised a number of Man United players

Several England players are reportedly unimpressed by what they deem to be unfair criticism of key players by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand, who works as a pundit on BT Sport and discusses football's trending topics on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, has criticised Three Lions players such as Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford in recent months. As reported by the Sun, a number of players in the England squad believe that Ferdinand can sometimes go overboard with his views on the game and criticism of players. https://twitter.com/UtdPlug/status/1511665348675784710 The report also suggests that the players have no issue with criticism from Ferdinand's former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, but that they believe the 43-year-old sometimes takes it too far.

'They all just want to be mates' - Ferdinand

The former Red Devils defender - who made 455 appearances during his Old Trafford career - recently slammed the United squad following the disappointing defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester City, arguing that 'they all just want to be mates!'

"I feel from the outside looking in, they all just want to be mates," Ferdinand said on his Vibe With Five YouTube channel.

"No one wants to put someone's nose out of joint. It's like they're all in an office job in the city. They're all being nice and they don't really like each other but they won't tell each other.

"To win, you've got to be pulling people about telling them you're rubbish, sort yourself out. You don't have to be that aggressive either... it can be a simple conversation. Please tell me they are (doing that).

"I don't see a response. Their body language is awful, walking about slumped, like the world's against them, looking unhappy."

He added: "You're playing for Man United man, in a derby, do you know how much those fans in that stadium would give to be on that pitch and you're walking around like 'I could be doing better things than this on a Sunday.'

"That's the vibe I'm getting from certain guys. Fred's an easy cop out, the system didn't suit him at all.

"We've seen too many managers come and go, it's not about the manager. If you're not here to play football, take criticism and improve yourselves every day. If you're not willing to work hard every day, come out of the club."

In August, he apologised to Phil Jones after suggesting the defender should leave the club after failing to make an appearance for 18 months.

Ferdinand says he's been asked to 'tone down' his criticism

The ex-England centre-back previously revealed that several United players' agents had asked him to tone down his criticism of their clients' underwhelming form.

He said: "The amount of phone calls I get from agents, 'oh, can you not say this, why are you criticising so and so', do me a favour.

"If I was being vindictive and personal and saying bad things personally about these people I'd get it, I'd take the call and say sorry.

"But I ain't saying sorry for stating facts. I ain't saying sorry for tactically looking at the way people are playing and highlighting situations where you think you could do better there."

Related links:

• Rio Ferdinand responds to Wayne Rooney ‘arrogant’ comments
• Rio Ferdinand slams Man Utd hierarchy for ‘letting stuff slide’
• Making Harry Maguire Man Utd captain was a mistake, claims Rio Ferdinand