- Ferdinand named final Manchester XI since 2000 forward of Sunday’s derby
- There was no place within the group for the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville
- Is Bruno Fernandes ok to make the bench for Manchester City? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has named his final Manchester XI since 2000 – and included himself within the aspect.
Erik ten Hag‘s United will search to place final weekend’s disappointing house defeat by Fulham behind them once they journey to the Etihad on Sunday.
Meanwhile, City will probably be trying to maintain stress on Premier League leaders Liverpool by beating United for the second time this season.
Ahead of the showdown, Ferdinand named his mixed group because the flip of the century and disregarded Red Devils legend Roy Keane whereas selecting Wayne Rooney in an unconventional function.
In objective it was a toss up between Edwin Van Der Saar and David De Gea however Ferdinand opted for the previous, saying: ‘I reckon Van der Sar is the standout for me. We stated it right away.
Rio Ferdinand has named his final Manchester XI since 2000 forward of Sunday’s derby
In objective it was a toss up between Edwin Van Der Saar and David De Gea however the former was picked
Ferdinand left Gary Neville out of his group and says Kyle Walker is the most effective right-back
The former centre-back wished to incorporate Roy Keane however then determined to depart him out
‘David De Gea, I believe, in all probability had extra excellent moments than Van der Sar, however Van der Sar was simply that calming affect and that steadiness, and he was one of many first goalkeepers from that technology to be nice along with his toes as effectively. So, I simply suppose as a package deal, I take him.’
Right-back was a simple determination, with Ferdinand claiming Kyle Walker is ‘the most effective in Premier League historical past’ whereas Patrice Evra was named at left-back on account of his consistency, leaving out Gary Neville within the course of.
City had quite a few shouts at centre again with the likes of Vincent Kompany and John Stones however Ferdinand, unsurprisingly, opted for himself and former accomplice Nemanja Vidic.
The holding midfielder might result in raised eyebrows from some as Rodri was chosen forward of Keane as a result of have an effect on his absence has on City and a few of his ‘clutch targets’.
I used to be a triple CIty midfield of Rodri, De Bruyne and Yaya Toure in Ferdinand’s XI
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have been a lethal duo for United and made the XI
‘Rodri, what he is doing proper now, he is the most effective CDM on the planet. He’s nasty. He controls tempo, the whole lot. In phrases of affect on the group, I can not go too far-off from that,’ Ferdinand stated.
‘When he does not play, City lose. Facts. He’s the one participant of their group that the extent of the group drops down each time he is out of the group. Dramatically. When Rodri does not play, they do not win video games.’
In a 4-3-3 setup, Ferdinand selected Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Scholes, however co-host Stephen Howson added Yaya Toure to the combination. Eventually, a third-party behind the digital camera dominated in favour of a Toure, De Bruyne duo in entrance of Rodri.
Ferdinand was insistent on forcing Rooney into the aspect and chosen him as the fitting winger regardless of his finest days developing high and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.
Sergio Aguero beat off competitors from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin Van Persie
During his first spell at United, Ronaldo racked up 84 league targets in 196 appearances earlier than sealing a file transfer to Real Madrid in 2009.
‘Cutting in, banging targets. When we have been successful the league and he was scoring 40+ targets, he was enjoying on the left, so I believe we have to place him on the left,’ Ferdinand added.
The striker place was a toss up between Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin Van Persie and Sergio Aguero but it surely was the latter as he was one among Ferdinand’s ‘hardest’ strikers Ferdinand got here up in opposition to.