Rio Ferdinand speaking into a microphone
Rio Ferdinand wants more exits at Manchester United
Rio Ferdinand has urged INEOS to rid Manchester United of the “s*** players” at the club after they axed sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ashworth was sacked from his role on Sunday, just five months after United went through a lengthy arbitration process and paid £3million to hire him from Newcastle. United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe took the decision after Ashworth clashed with chief executive Omar Berrada and other staff members.
The 53-year-old had favoured the hiring of Brentford boss Thomas Frank or ex-England manager Gareth Southgate, instead of Ruben Amorim, once Erik ten Hag was fired. The sudden exit of Ashworth is embarrassing for INEOS, who had to fork out £21.4million to replace Ten Hag with Amorim after handing the Dutchman a new contract in the summer.
But Ferdinand is actually encouraged by the move because he believes it shows that Ratcliffe and co are willing to make tough decisions to turn things around. “Confusion is the first thing that springs to mind,” Ferdinand said on his Rio Presents podcast about the situation.
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“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.
“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.”
He added: “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’.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, owner of Manchester United poses for a photo as Dan Ashworth, Sporting director of Manchester United looks on
Dan Ashworth was sacked by Sir Jim Ratcliffe ( Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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The sacking of Ashworth came just days after Ratcliffe warned that unpopular decisions were needed in order to improve “mediocre” United, who are 13th in the Premier League after suffering successive defeats. "Manchester United has become mediocre," he told the United We Stand fanzine.
"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.”
Manchester United have suffered back-to-back defeats under Ruben Amorim
The petrochemicals billionaire has been openly critical of United before and after taking over control of the club. He has slashed 250 jobs at the club, cut down on staff benefits and let go of Sir Alex Ferguson as a club ambassador.
Nevertheless, United still found £180m to invest in five new players in the summer transfer, despite announcing a net loss of £113.2m in their most recent accounts and a recent report showing that United have racked up a staggering net spend of €1.3bn (£1.08bn) since 2015, more than any other club in the world.
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