Rio Ferdinand may not have been teammates with Manchester United players who were knocked out of the first round of the Carabao Cup by League Two Grimsby, but he did still share a dressing room with some frustrating figures.
Of course, when compared to Ruben Amorim's current squad, some may say that the likes of Anderson and Bebe wouldn't be bad options to turn to these days - that's how bad things have become. But the reality is that, under Sir Alex Ferguson, both players were not up to the incredibly high standards set by Ferdinand and others in that Old Trafford dressing room.
Man Utd record Bebe Anderson
Appearances 7 181
Goals 2 9
Assists 0 20
Whilst Bebe was swiftly moved on at Manchester United, Anderson's slow burn from one of the world's best young players into a forgotten star is one that often frustrated Ferdinand.
The former centre-back said, when speaking on FIVE: “Anderson was a player that used to frustrate me sometimes. This kid won the Golden Boy, that everyone goes mad about now, he won it when he was at Porto, best young player in Europe.
"The kid was unreal talent-wise but we have a WhatsApp group we always talk about, where he gets hammered. We always appreciate his ability but we’re all frustrated that he didn’t probably apply himself like he could have, because if he did, he might not have got injured as much as he got.”
anderson-man-utd
Manchester United's Anderson celebrates goal.
It also goes without saying that there were plenty more to forget alongside Anderson and Bebe. In the middle of a dressing room full of success, Diego Forlan also failed to live up to the hype - scoring just 17 goals in 98 appearances.
However, as disappointing as Forlan and Anderson were, and as poor as Bebe was, Ferdinand decided to name-drop an unexpected Manchester United legend as his "worse teammate".
Ferdinand names Rooney as "worst teammate"
Out of all the transfer flops that came and went, it's Wayne Rooney who's taken the crown as Ferdinand's worst teammate. Somehow, some way, the man with the most goals in Manchester United history has found himself with an unwanted title. But Ferdinand has his reasons, as the defender revealed to the Seven Meets Podcast in 2023.
"The worst team-mate I probably had the most arguments with Wayne Rooney, to be honest with you. Never came to blows, it was on the pitch. We never argued in training really, it was just match day, we probably argued once every two or three games, effing and blinding, screaming at each other because I wanted more from him.
"I knew what he was good at, and I knew he could do more. I’d want him to be more effective or something. The biggest thing for me with Wayne is he wanted to play 30 or 40-yard passes like Paul Scholes, and he could do it, he was that good. I wanted him to score 30 or 40 goals a season, because he could."
The Manchester United dressing room were never shy when it came to airing their grievances. Perhaps that's why they proved to be so successful. Although David Beckham and a certain football boot may have something to say about that.