Rio Ferdinand tells Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes to ‘retract statement’: ‘That ain’t right’
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand thinks Bruno Fernandes should “retract” his remarks after he was sent off in their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
The Red Devils went behind early on as Brennan Johnson scored for Spurs in a one-sided first half before Fernandes was sent off for a challenge on James Maddison.
Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke added two more goals after the break and Tottenham could have had more if they’d taken their chances.
Man Utd put in a terrible performance but captain Fernandes attempted to defend his team-mates and insisted there are “many good things we can take away” from the defeat.
Speaking after the match, Fernandes said: “Obviously I left my team-mates with one man down, and I do appreciate everything they did on the pitch, which obviously was tougher for them.
“We didn’t start the game well when it was 11 v 11, then obviously the result is on their side and we get the situation with the red card.
“They did very well, they tried. Obviously we conceded another two goals, but it was difficult to cover all of the spaces.
“But I think there is many good things we can take away from this – the resilience of the team was always there and I am really proud of the team.”
But Man Utd legend Ferdinand has encouraged Fernandes to watch the game again and “retract that statement” after Tottenham dominated Erik ten Hag’s side.
Ferdinand said on his own YouTube channel: “One of the quotes that came from that interview was that he said ‘many good things we can take away from today, I’m really proud of the team.'”
Ferdinand shook his head and continued: “He’s going to have to watch that game back and then retract that statement, because that ain’t right, he hasn’t seen it the way we have on the tele. It’s very different.”
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On his sending-off, Fernandes told Sky Sports: “Apart from slipping going in, I don’t take him as everyone wants to see it.
“I don’t go with the studs, I take him with my ankle. It’s a clear foul but never a red card. That’s my feeling.
“Even Maddison, when he gets up, you can see in the image… he just said, ‘It’s a foul but it’s never a red card’. That’s what he said.
“I think in the eyes of everyone, you can see that is never a red card because if this is a red card I think we have to look at many other incidents.
“I had many incidents when I get kicked and everything, and I’ve never seen something so quick coming off as a red card. I just think it’s never a red card.”
Asked if he was in shock seeing the red card, Fernandes said: “Yeah, for me, it’s a foul.
“Even the contact is not even that strong. If he wants to give me a yellow because it’s a counter-attack, I agree.
“And then I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen. For me, it’s just not a really good decision. That’s all.”