Rio Ferdinand blasts Christian Eriksen for Man Utd comments – 'Don't be saying that s***'

Rio Ferdinand has ripped into Christian Eriksen following the midfielder’s startling admission about Manchester United ’s work-rate.

The Red Devils are in the midst of another crisis following a torrid start to the season under Erik ten Hag, who is once again under mounting pressure having narrowly avoided the sack in the summer. Following Sunday’s wretched 3-0 defeat to Tottenham, United are floundering in 13th in the Premier League.

They also made a dismal start to their Europa League campaign, drawing 1-1 at home to Twente. After the match, Eriksen surprisingly admitted the Dutch side showed more hunger, saying: “I think they looked like they wanted it more than us and that can’t be right.”

Those comments were backed up by Ten Hag, but ex-United players, including Ferdinand, have been left appalled, insisting that kind of rhetoric should be kept in the dressing room. Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents show, he said: “Another big issue was the other day, hearing Eriksen’s comments, ‘didn’t work hard enough’ or ‘they worked harder than us’, something around those lines.

READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand's six-word Man Utd response speaks volumes amid Erik ten Hag struggles

READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson tells Man Utd who should replace Erik ten Hag as sack plan emerges

“If you’re in the changing room and your teammate said that, I’d be saying, ‘listen bro, don’t be saying that type of s*** outside. We can talk about this in here but I don’t want to hear it out there.”

Backtracking slightly, Ferdinand then added: “At United, I didn’t play in a team that didn’t work hard, that was out-fought. I don’t know, he might be within his rights to say that.”

YOUR TURN! Do you agree with Ferdinand? Tell us in the comments section.

Gary Neville was also left shocked by Eriksen’s comments. Speaking after the Spurs loss, the Sky Sports pundit said: "When I think back to Christian Eriksen's comments after the game on Wednesday night, from someone who's in the dressing room, from someone who's a very senior player who should be trusted.

“When he says that they didn't want it and they don't want it as much as another team in a game of football, that matters more than anything that anybody else can say.

"He's inside there [the dressing room], he's seeing with his own eyes. We know what's happening in there can't be great because we see it transmits into what's happening on the pitch. That old adage of what you do in training and what you do every day in your life comes out here on a Saturday or a Sunday is very true.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.