“He let me know there’s another level”, “Horrible to play against, nasty” – Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand names 4 toughest strikers he ever faced

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has named the four toughest strikers that he faced during his playing career.

Rio Ferdinand, widely regarded as one of the best English centre-backs of all time, had a successful career at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. He was brought in from Leeds for a then-record fee for a defender of £29.3 million and won six Premier League titles along with one UCL.

During his career, he played against some of the all-time greatest attackers and named the four stars he thought were the toughest. Ex-Bolton Forward Kevin Davies surprisingly joined the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Dennis Bergkamp and Real Madrid legend Raul.

Speaking on the Broadtalks podcast, the defender said:

"Raul, the movement, he would go into areas, the positions he'd go into, Bergkamp the same. They'd go deep and I used to run out and then there would be a big space behind me. Ronaldo, he let me know there's another level."

He added about Ronaldo:

“He was hard to play against. Before the ball was even coming he's grabbing and scratching. Horrible to play against, nasty, he'd give you a difficult afternoon.”

Manchester United look to get back to glory days with Erik ten Hag appointment

Needless to say, it will be quite some time before Manchester United can look to compete for the biggest trophies again. During Rio Ferdinand’s time, the club was one of the biggest in the world and easily the best in England. The current Manchester United team is as unique as it is terrible.

On paper, this is easily the best team that has existed since Ferguson retired. However, the season has been fraught with disappointments and even the smaller teams with recognizable systems have been able to dominate United.

Erik ten Hag has been brought in to change not just the personnel, but the overall tactical system and the culture at the club. While there is still very slight hope for Champions League qualification, most fans know very well that this team does not deserve a top-four spot.

Additionally, being able to focus on a limited number of competitions next season should also be seen as a blessing in disguise. The coming time promises to be an exciting period, and a number of promising youngsters can be expected to be promoted to the senior team.