Rio Ferdinand reveals the two players Manchester United 'should NEVER have allowed to leave'... as h
Rio Ferdinand has revealed two players he thinks Manchester United were wrong to sell.
United’s mixed season continued at the weekend as they lost the Manchester derby to rivals City, despite leading early on and not going behind until 10 minutes from time.
They sit sixth in the Premier League table and 11 points off a Champions League spot, with it unclear what the future holds for the Red Devils following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment.
The club have had a difficult time of things in the last few years, and this season has felt somewhat like a campaign of transition as the side deal with a number of injuries, particularly in defence.
And that’s the area of the team that Ferdinand, speaking on FIVE, pointed to when outlining two players he believes should not have been sold by his former side.
Rio Ferdinand has revealed two players he feels should never have been allowed to leave Manchester United
United have struggled to find players to regularly play in their defence since Ferdinand left the club alongside Nemanja Vidic (not pictured)
The former defender said Chris Smalling (left) and Jonny Evans (right) were United’s best defenders at the time of his departure
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‘I’ve said this many times, it was a travesty that they sold Jonny Evans,’ Ferdinand said. ‘He should never have been allowed to leave.
‘He was the best defender, the best centre back, when I left. When me and [Nemanja] Vidic walked out of the door, the experience, the old timers, we were gone, he was the best defender that you’ve got. I just couldn’t believe that he was allowed to leave.
‘Him and Chris Smalling, to be fair. I don’t believe they should have been allowed to leave, I thought they knew the fabric of the club. You need those types.’
Ferdinand and Vidic (left) former of of United’s best defensive partnerships in the club’s history
Ferdinand departed United in 2014, joining QPR before calling time on his career a year later. Vidic, who played 197 times alongside Ferdinand, left the same summer, forcing the Red Devils to re-shuffle their defence.
Evans, meanwhile, left in 2015, with Smalling departing for Roma permanently in 2020 after a year on loan with the Italian side.
United went onto concede six fewer league goals the year after Ferdinand and Vidic departed, but have scratched around for a defensive partnership to take them forward ever since.
Smalling spent 10 years at United before he joined Roma on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020
Evans, meanwhile, has now re-joined the club following spells at West Brom and Leicester
The likes of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly arrived for sizeable fees but didn’t work out, and a record sum was paid for Harry Maguire, who finds himself a squad player and a former captain of the club.
Evans has since returned, deputising for Lisandro Martinez, who United hope will be a long-term answer on the left side of their back four.
On the right, however, Raphael Varane has been in and out of the side and it’s likely the club will spend again to improve the position in the summer.
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