"They're a Championship team when he doesn't play" – Rio Ferdinand makes bold claims about Manchester United star

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand has jumped to Bruno Fernandes' defence, suggesting that his former club play like an EFL Championship side in the attacking midfielder's absence.

Despite being consistent with his goal involvements over the seasons, Fernandes is regarded as one of the Red Devils' weak links. The 30-year-old former Sporting CP playmaker has been scrutinised due to his poor attitude and lack of positional discipline by fans and pundits alike of late.

However, Ferdinand is of the opinion that Fernandes is unduly disrespected. He hailed the ex-Udinese star's consistency while recently speaking on his YouTube channel (h/t Metro):

"Bruno is massively disrespected... all this talk of him not being captain material and trying to look for negatives in his game. Since he's come, 28 goals, 17 assists in his first [full] season, that's 45 goal involvements. 10 goals and 14 assists in his second season. Third season, 14 goals, 14 assists. He's got 10 [goals] now and 12 assists. It's screaming one thing: consistency [and] output."

Ferdinand, who helped Manchester United win 15 trophies, continued:

"Some of the things he gets called out for, his body language... yeah, there could be improvements there, but that is borne out of frustration, that's borne out of not being helped. That's borne out of, 'You know what? I'm f*****g doing my job, look at the stats!' No player has created more chances since he signed for United in the Premier League, by the way. Not Kevin De Bruyne, nobody."

Hinting that Manchester United are poorer without Fernandes, he added:

"I think they're a Championship team when he doesn't play, division one team sometimes when you look at them. They're lacking confidence, they're getting overrun a lot of the time, they get bullied. You look at them in the first 45 minutes, especially, [in the 2-2 draw] against Everton and they were second to every ball almost."

How have Manchester United fared this term?

Manchester United, who finished eighth last season, are currently languishing in 15th place in the 2024-25 Premier League standings. They are on just 30 points from 26 matches with a -7 goal difference right now.

Despite sacking Erik ten Hag and hiring Ruben Amorim as their new head coach last year, the Red Devils have struggled to perform well this season. They are currently 14 points off fourth-place Manchester City now.

The Red Devils, who are still in the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League, will face Ipswich Town in a home league clash on Wednesday (February 26).