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  • Man Utd’s links to Pochettino slammed by Ferdinand as club legend calls for Solskjaer respect

    Man Utd’s links to Pochettino slammed by Ferdinand as club legend calls for Solskjaer respect

    Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has slammed the club’s links to Mauricio Pochettino, with the former defender claiming no talks have been held and that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves more respect.

    Murmurs of change in the Old Trafford dugout are nothing new, with speculation surfacing every time a disappointing result is posted.

    There have been a few too many of those of late, leading to Solskjaer seeing his position called into question.

    A 3-1 victory over Everton last time out appears to have eased some of that pressure, but links to the likes of ex-Tottenham boss Pochettino continue to do the rounds.

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    Ferdinand is disappointed to see a coach doing the best he can with an inconsistent squad facing more unwelcome rumours, especially as he sees no substance to such talk, with everyone in the United camp – on and off the field – pulling in the same direction.

    “Man United needed a huge performance and a result this weekend,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube channel.

    “The pressure was absolutely on this team and the management, they went out there and produced.

    “In the media, there’s been bit of disrespect to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be honest. People touting about that Pochettino has been spoken to.

    “I’ve got it from a really, really, really good source that there’s been no conversations and they wouldn’t disrespect Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in that manner. I feel like that should be addressed.

    “We can all say ‘so and so will be good or better’, that’s just part of the game. But to say someone has been spoken to and is coming in imminently, when it’s not true, I think that’s out of order.

    “The man is in the job and his team have found a knack of always pulling a result out when they need it and this was no difference, they were solid.”

    Having made a welcome return to winning ways, United have the international break to devise a plan that will allow them to build much-needed momentum.

    They are due to return to Premier League action on November 21 with a home date against struggling West Brom.

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  • Maguire’s Man Utd captain credentials questioned by former skipper Ferdinand

    Maguire’s Man Utd captain credentials questioned by former skipper Ferdinand

    Rio Ferdinand has called on Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to show he is worthy of the armband, urging the England international centre-back to “get a hold of that team”.

    Recent good work, notably wins over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League, was interrupted by a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

    It was a lacklustre performance against the Gunners at Old Trafford, and Red Devils great Ferdinand feels there was a lack of leadership on show.

    “We’re lacking confidence in certain areas. We gained a bit of confidence in midweek but do they get too overconfident?” he said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.

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    “I saw Harry Maguire and a couple of his comments after the game saying maybe they were patting each other on the back too much. Get a hold of that team – he’s the captain.”

    Ferdinand feels Maguire would do well to look back at past captains of United for inspiration.

    He added: “I hope he’s getting in there and getting round people and telling people ‘listen, we aren’t the finished article, we’ve got loads to do, there is more from us to come, pull your socks up’.

    “I don’t know if that’s going on. The captain of Man Utd. There’s always been leaders in that changing room who would be going round and drilling people, either one-to-one or in front of the group. Pulling people aside, having little conversations to get people up, to make sure they stay on their game.

    “I remember Nani, I didn’t chat to him really, it was two or three words, ‘assists and goals’ or ‘shoot on sight’. Boom, that’s it. It doesn’t need an essay of words. Sometimes it’s short and sharp, punchy little things.

    “Are these conversations going on? It isn’t just for the management to deal with that, sometimes the players in that dressing room need to stand up and put it on people.”

    While United are well placed in the Champions League, with two wins from as many games in Group H, they languish in 15th place in the Premier League.

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can shift focus away from their domestic troubles on Wednesday when they face Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. 

    A win at the Fatih Terim Stadium in Turkey would leave the Red Devils well placed to advance to the knockout stages, but they will need to bounce back from their poor effort against Arsenal on Sunday.