Ferdinand identifies what Man Utd, Solskjaer are ‘lacking’
Rio Ferdinand believes “the only thing” Manchester United are lacking is an “experienced coach” to work alongside manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils were once again poor as they were comfortably beaten 2-0 at home by Manchester City on Saturday.
Eric Bailly scored a first-half own goal to open the scoring, before Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire allowed Bernardo Silva to poke the ball home to double City’s lead before half-time.
16 Conclusions: Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City
Solskjaer’s future has been cast in doubt in recent weeks and was seemingly given three games to save his job after his side were battered 5-0 by Liverpool last month.
The first of the three was a 3-0 win at Tottenham. United followed up the victory in north London with a draw against Atalanta, before the Manchester derby defeat.
With the Norwegian’s future being a huge talking point, former centre-back Ferdinand hinted that employing an “experienced coach” to work alongside Solskjaer would be better than sacking him.
“The only thing they’re lacking in that dressing room is an experienced coach,” Ferdinand told The Athletic.
“However good those coaches are, they haven’t got the experience because they’re just not old enough. Mick Phelan’s main job isn’t coaching on a day-to-day basis. He probably coached our team a handful of times.
“He has other qualities that are outstanding. Sir Alex always championed Mick Phelan. He was a good sounding board.”
Meanwhile, former RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick is ‘still interested’ in taking the Man Utd job as pressure mounts on Solskjaer, according to reports.
After the City game, the prominent Bild journalist Christian Falk provided an update on Rangnick, who is recognised as the founding father of the modern German coaching school.
According to Falk, he is open to succeeding Solskjaer at Old Trafford, with the Norwegian under immense pressure following the defeat.
Tottenham Hotspur courted Rangnick in the summer as they sought a replacement for Jose Mourinho but were put off by his age – 63 – and opted for Nuno Espirito Santo instead.
Nevertheless, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann all credit him as a great influence in their careers and he is regarded as an astute tactician.
