Rio Ferdinand orders Man Utd to get ‘brutal’ with flops not employees cuts and ticket costs
Rio Ferdinand has called on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS to clear out the “s*** players” at Manchester United after the sacking of sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ashworth was unceremoniously ousted from his position on Sunday only months after an extensive arbitration process and a £3million payment secured him from Premier League rivals Newcastle. His departure followed reported conflicts with chief executive Omar Berrada among other staff members at the club.
The 53-year-old had reportedly backed Brentford manager Thomas Frank or former England coach Gareth Southgate for the manager’s role at Old Trafford over eventual appointment Ruben Amorim if the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag. Ashworth’s leaving is a blow for blundering INEOS, who coughed up £21.4million in total to secure Amorim and pay off Ten Hag after inexplicably renewing the Dutchman’s contract in the summer.
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United legend Ferdinand has now spoken out about the chaos at the club, with the fallen giants slumped 13th in the Premier League table after losing two games back-to-back. Speaking on the Rio Presents podcast when asked about the upheaval at the club, he said: “Confusion is the first thing that springs to mind.
“I just hope they’re this brutal as they have been with the staff that have been there for years and they’re culling with the s*** players that are there,” reports the Mirror.
(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“If there’s any s*** players that are there, and the ones that have either been there too long and the ones that just ain’t good enough, be as brutal as they’ve been. Get them out quick. And I hope they’re like that.
“For better or worse, at least they’ve made a decision. You look at the things that are going on I think there’s a lot of noise around the club. Ticket prices are going up, there’s been the laying-off of 250-plus staff. They’re very definitive and it’s very much like, ‘right, we’re doing this’.”
The dismissal of Ashworth occurred just days after Ratcliffe cautioned that unpopular decisions were necessary to enhance “mediocre” United, whose season is in disarray. “Manchester United has become mediocre,” he told the United We Stand fanzine.
(Image: Getty Images)
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“It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.”
The petrochemicals tycoon has been openly critical of United both before and after assuming control of the club. He has axed 250 jobs at the club, reduced staff benefits and dismissed Sir Alex Ferguson as a club ambassador.
Despite this, United still managed to find around £200m to invest in five new players during the summer transfer window – despite reporting a net loss of £113.2m in their latest accounts and a recent report revealing that United have accumulated a staggering net spend of €1.3bn (£1.08bn) since 2015, more than any other club globally.
