News broke out last week that Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag had dropped and suspended a Manchester United Star for reporting to a meeting late.
The 52-year-old was reported to have introduced a new five rules when he took over the reins at Manchester United. Some Pundits described those new rules being hash and ” nonsense”.
It was based on these new rules that the player was dropped for failing to report for team meetings earlier.
Manchester United Legend Rio Ferdinand believes it was the best way to and he refused to read meaning into Manchester United’s pre-season friendly match result.
What was Ferdinand’s reaction to Erik Ten Hag dropping a player for being late for team meetings?
Rio Ferdinand in an interview with Daily Mirror said: “I don’t really look at results in pre-season.
“I’ve played far too many games in pre-season and lost and it had no reflection on the coming season.
“I think it’s more about the noises I’m hearing out of the training ground from the players, listening to individuals talk really positively… there seems to be a bit of a spring in their step now.
“You don’t want to get too carried away, but it’s positive to hear the messaging and direction in training.
“It seems like there’s a lot more clarity and there’s a better understanding of how they want to play. And they’re enjoying it, most importantly.
“And the discipline, I read an article about a player being dropped for a couple of games – completely from the squad – because of punctuality problems.
“Things like that are elements that I’ve been calling for and wanting to see in the last few years. At the moment, in pre-season when there’s no pressure, it seems to be going quite well.”
The Manchester United legend is expecting Erik Ten Hag to improve the team and give them an identity.
Ferdinand continued: “Finding an identity they stick to and you go, “that’s Manchester United” just by the way they’re playing [should be the target].
“It doesn’t have to be reflective of the years gone by, it’s about [saying], “that’s Erik ten Hag’s team – you can tell”. I want that first and foremost. I’d love to see that.
“And then consistency. Not good one week or average next week… a good level of consistency throughout the season would be great. If they can get their hands on a trophy, then great. I just want to see improvement.
“If United don’t win a trophy this year but they really improve and you go, “Woah, I can see a big difference now” – I’m happy with that because it’s a step in the right direction.
“If they’re much the same as what we’ve seen in the last couple of seasons and they win a trophy, I’m still going to be skeptical. I want the consistency, philosophy, and identity of the team to be there, so long-term it looks better.”
The Red Devils played their last pre-season game in a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano.
