Rio Ferdinand says he’d be ’embarrassed to show his face’ if he were Man Utd star | Football

Rio Ferdinand says he ‘wouldn’t be able to show my face’ if he were part of the current Manchester United team.

Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United ensured that 2024/25 would be the club’s worst season in the Premier League.

Even if United won their six remaining league fixtures, they would finish the campaign on 56 points – two shy of their worst ever tally (58 in 2021/22).

They can still win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League but their quarter-final tie with Lyon could go either way after a 2-2 draw in France last week.

Few players will come away from this season with any credit, perhaps leastof all Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

The misfiring centre-forwards have scored just three goals each in a combined 59 Premier League appearances so far.

When reminded of this stat on his YouTube channel, a despondent Ferdinand said: ‘I wouldn’t be able to show my face. I wouldn’t be able to come out of the house.

‘The way I used to feel about just losing or drawing a game, I would be really embarrassed.

‘I’d be working hard and I know they are. I speak to guys at the club, they’re working really hard but at the moment that ain’t enough and I don’t know what they have to do.’

Finding the back of the net has been the biggest problem for Ruben Amorim’s side. Their tally of 38 goals is only better than Everton and the four bottom teams in the league: West Ham, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton.

Ferdinand did however defend the group of younger Red Devils including Hojlund and Zirkzee, admitting that the toll of playing for United and the environment they’ve entered is partly to blame for their form.

‘You find out a lot about players when the pressures on and the pressure is like no other club in the Premier League,’ the United legend added.

‘People won’t like to hear that but it’s a fact. When you get to Man United and you go into that stadium, that culture, that training ground, it’s a heavy place to be.

‘There’s a big responsibility on your shoulders. The history is heavy and some of these players unfortunately don’t look like they’re ready to take on that responsibility.

‘It’s become a burden for some of these players rather than a privilege because of the circumstances if the club and I feel sorry for them. They have to find a way to work through that, otherwise these guys are going to be tarnished with this for the rest of their lives.’

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