Rio Ferdinand says his former Manchester United teammate Jonny Evans should not be at the club in a damning assessment of the club’s recent recruitment.
United’s disappointing 2023-24 Premier League season concluded on Sunday with a victory over Brighton, leaving them in eighth place, a significant 31 points behind the champions, Manchester City.
United will face their city rivals in the FA Cup final on Saturday, where Erik ten Hag will be striving to secure his position amid anticipated major changes at Old Trafford this summer.
Evans, 36, rejoined Manchester United last summer on a one-year contract as the team’s fifth-choice center-back. Due to numerous injuries among defenders, he was called upon more often than anticipated, resulting in 29 appearances this season, including 18 starts.
‘Jonny Evans, really, no disrespect – I love him – but really he shouldn’t even be there,’ Rio Ferdinand told Five.
‘Really, if you’re looking at Man United being a progressive club [he shouldn’t be there]. But he’s come in and probably been their best centre-back this season. And now you’ve got Casemiro playing there, just filling gaps, and respect to him for doing that, to put himself out there to do it.’
Over the past decade, United have consistently faced challenges in offloading underperforming players, often finding it difficult to secure reasonable fees for those they have managed to transfer.
Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane will depart the club this summer as their contracts expire, while Rio Ferdinand fears that United will have difficulty selling other players whose contracts are also nearing their end
This summer, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Christian Eriksen will all enter the final year of their contracts, along with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay. However, United has a one-year extension option for Maguire and McTominay.
‘We’ve got players going on free transfers who have cost us a fortune in wages and transfer fees.’ Rio Ferdinand continued.
‘And we’ve got players still sitting there with one year left on their deals who are going to probably just see them out and we’ll get nothing for them.
‘I can’t remember off the top of my head, but there’s about six or seven players who are on one year left on their deals and are going to just sit there and smoke it up, chill. The recruitment in and out has been poor.
‘We can’t get rid of players, do you know why? Because on the way in their get given astronomical contracts that are above market value and that no-one else will pay if it goes wrong. So they sit there.
‘Harry Maguire is a good example. West Ham wanted him, they’re willing to pay him half what he was earning at Manchester United, but Harry Maguire [says no]. I’d be the same. What do you mean go and get half? And uproot my family? No thanks.’