On Sunday, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 1-0 to increase their chances of finishing in the top four, and commentator Rio Ferdinand was left praising their game-winning goal.
While praising Manchester United’s match-winning performance on Sunday, Rio Ferdinand launched a vicious jab at Arsenal.
Erik ten Hag’s team defeated Aston Villa at Old Trafford thanks to a goal from Bruno Fernandes in the 39th minute, putting them in a strong position to compete for Champions League football. After playing one fewer game than their competitors, United, who are currently in fourth place, enjoy a seven-point lead over Liverpool.
The 28-year-old Portuguese star Fernandes will play a crucial role in the Red Devils’ quest to once again sit at the top table in Europe. The midfielder has made 178 appearances since joining the team from Sporting Lisbon in 2019 and has tallied 61 goals and 54 assists. This season, he has frequently taken Harry Maguire’s place as captain.
And now Ferdinand, who spent his own 12-year tenure at Old Trafford winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League, has asserted that United’s star player would be remembered forever if he had played in North London. On his FIVE podcast, he discussed the Villa match and stated, “We deserved to win the game.
“Were you able to see Bruno’s numbers? Wow. What the man is doing is incredible. With the numbers he has accomplished, if he were still at Arsenal, he most likely has a statue now at the Emirates.”
Ferdinand also supported Fernandes to assume the captain’s role full-time in the 2023–24 season, saying, “Does Bruno take the captaincy next year? 100 percent, I think he does.” Maguire’s future at the club is in serious doubt as a result of his inability to hold down a first team spot this season.
The most significant player we have had since Bruno signed has been him. Maguire is not playing, so he is the one holding the armband. To me, it makes sense that he would become captain the following year.”
Ferdinand didn’t stop there; he also criticized Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, for touting his team’s own European aspirations prior to the game at United. “Unai Emery was producing miracles, and who steps up to stop him?” Ferdinand questioned. “Bruno. Unai, take another seat. Recognize your position and be realistic.”
However, the former England international is aware that his former team needs more than just a new captain to contend for the championship the following season, and he urged Manchester United to keep pursuing Harry Kane last week. He said: “If there aren’t conversations going on about this man (Kane) in the corridors of power at Manchester United here and Mr. Daniel Levy here, I’d be very surprised” during United’s 2-2 draw with Spurs last week.”
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Referee who sent off Casemiro to preside over Manchester United’s game against Brighton
On Thursday night, Manchester United travel to face Brighton and Hove Albion in a challenging Premier League match.
An unwelcome refereeing appointment may have made the match even more challenging.
The match at the Amex will be overseen by Andre Marriner. It is the first time he has refereed a Manchester United game since that team’s home loss to Crystal Palace in early February.
Casemiro, a midfielder for Manchester United, was sent off for his involvement in a brawl between the two teams, making this game noteworthy for that decision.
A three-game suspension was imposed on Casemiro for this dismissal. This meant that when he received a second controversial red card against Southampton the following month, his subsequent suspension was increased to four games.
Erik ten Hag is not likely to be pleased with the Marriner appointment. Everyone is reacting, including players from Crystal Palace and Manchester United, he told The Sun.
“One of the players performed even worse than Casemiro, I remember. Consistency is required.”
The only United game Marriner has officiated this year was the match against Palace. Even though Manchester United ultimately prevailed 2-1, Casemiro’s suspension undoubtedly cost the team all three points in the matchup with Leeds, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The incident’s red card for Casemiro still looks bad. In a related incident last week, Jack Grealish got away without even being booked.
Last season, United lost 4-0 on its previous trip to Brighton. It won’t be easy for the team to avenge that defeat, especially if there is another unfair dismissal.
