Rio Ferdinand has publicly called out former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes after what he said about his ex employers.
Scholes, who played 718 times and won 11 Premier League titles, is never afraid to speak how he feels about United and in a recent column for TNT Sports, the 50-year-old expressed concerns about anyone signing for the Old Trafford outfit.
United, who are 14th in the Premier League table and set for their worst ever league finish, are likely to be very busy in the summer transfer market and have been heavily linked with Wolves star Matheus Cunha.
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Cunha, scorer of 15 league goals in a struggling Wolves team, has a £62.5 million release clause and United are believed to be the firm favourites for his signature.
Ruben Amorim is an admirer but Scholes is sceptical about United bringing in the Brazilian as he sees his former club as "such a bad place to go" given their current predicament.
"He looks like he’s got the attributes that Ruben Amorim wants," Scholes wrote.
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"He knows that physically, his team are just not strong or quick enough, so Matheus Cunha is obviously athletic, and he’s got quality with 15 league goals this season. I just worry for any signing coming to Manchester United at the minute. It just feels like it’s such a bad place to go. The quality of play right now is so poor.
And with Cunha, is he a centre-forward or is he a wide player? There’s no doubt that he has quality and of course, it would be nice to sign him, but I worry about where he fits in. "You can sign the best three players in the world, and I think they’ll struggle coming into this team at the minute, but they’ve got to start somewhere.
Ferdinand, also a pundit with TNT Sports, responded to Scholes' verdict by simply writing: "Cheers Scholesy ffs" accompanied by two emojis.
Further down the column, Scholes called United's domestic campaign a "disaster" that has been "difficult to watch".
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But fans weren't too happy with his honest assessments and promptly weighed in on social media.
On X, one fan wrote: "Rio, have a word with your former teammates! Are they deliberately trying to sabotage Manchester United and Ruben Amorim? Both have tried managing clubs, so they of all people should know how brutal it is. Get Patrice on the line and shut them down!"
A second added: "Mate I love the man but he's so grumpy he can't have been like this as a player."
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A third vented: "You wouldn’t think him & Nev played for United at times that way they constantly moan about them. I get Keano, he isn’t a United fan, but the other two go so far out of their way to be 'impartial' it’s as though they hate the club.
A final user said: "Bro is telling good players to stay away from our football club."
Following a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Bournemouth United are back in action on Thursday for their biggest game of the season when they travel to play Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.
Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Manchester United, Fan Reactions
Josh Lawless