Former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand has accused the club’s stars of ‘downing tools’ following their humiliating defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.
The Red Devils found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-0 humbling at the AMEX Stadium on Saturday - a defeat that has put paid to the club’s hopes of returning to the Champions League next term.
Moises Caicedo opened the scoring for the Seagulls with a fantastic effort in the first period before three goals in 11 second-half minutes from Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard secured an emphatic victory for the home side.
The defeat leaves Ralf Rangnick ’s men languishing in sixth in the Premier League with just one game of the season remaining, whilst the current campaign is the worst from a points perspective in modern history. Having witnessed the Red Devils’ capitulation on the south coast, Ferdinand dropped a scathing verdict of his former club.
Speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast, he said: “It has got to the stage where you can’t even put up a fight as a Man United fan. We are getting mocked every week.
“We have gone down to Brighton to the seaside for a day out. We got pumped and sent back home.
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“There is no fight, there is no character and it seems there is no desire. People have downed tools it seems.”
With United set for an overhaul this summer from both a playing and a coaching perspective - a number of players are set to depart in the upcoming window amid the anticipated arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag - Ferdinand then further questioned the current morale in the United dressing room ahead of the season’s conclusion.
“We are getting smashed 4-0 at Brighton,” he continued. “Listen, they are a decent team, but United shouldn’t be getting beat 4-0 like that. This is a terrible situation and I really wonder what it is like in that changing room. Is there anyone standing up?
“Are there any characters that are picking people up or is everyone in there thinking that it has gone now? ‘We have gone and that is it.’”
The Red Devils’ season could yet potentially be set to get worse with a seventh-placed finish - their joint-worst in Premier League history - seeing them handed a place in the Europa Conference League. Their destiny is currently out of their own hands with West Ham United just three points behind them with a game in-hand.
The Hammers round-off their season with clashes against title-chasing Manchester City before a final-day clash with Brighton & Hove Albion. Meanwhile, United are set to tackle Crystal Palace with sixth the best that they can do this season.
