Rio Ferdinand has spoken out about two United legends who criticised Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
Last month, Lisandro Martinez was at the forefront of a scandal involving two Manchester United legends, who made comments on a podcast about his stature.
Martinez has been a key part of the Reds’ back line when he has been fit, having played 106 games under five different managers.
That said, the Argentine suffered a brutal ACL injury, which saw him sidelined for around a year. Martinez has since returned and has become a staple of the back line in recent months.
Despite criticism from club legends, Martinez has shown professionalism, which has prompted former United centre-back Rio Ferdinand to defend him.
Ferdinand hits back at Scholes and Butt
United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt openly criticised Martinez’s stature on the podcast “The Good, The Bad, and The Football”,
Ferdinand responded later on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, saying, “The problem is Paul Scholes is one of the most respected and greatest footballers of his generation.”
Ferdinand represented United 371 times and has been regarded as one of the Premier League’s best-ever defenders.
The 47-year-old has since transferred his expertise to punditry and has worked on various platforms in the UK, even hosting his own podcast.
Ferdinand further commented, “But I’m not Paul Scholes. And being Paul Scholes comes with a responsibility, I think. That’s my opinion.”
The Englishman has pointed out that Scholes has not performed professionally in the media and that his name holds weight still within the squad.
Want to stay as up-to-date as possible on the latest Manchester United updates? Add UtdDistrict as a preferred source on Google for news you can rely on.
Ferdinand insists there is no ‘feud’
Ferdinand has been quick to comment on his relationship with the pair, having worked previously with them, and all respectively holding ‘legend’ status at United.
“I’m not saying Scholesy is tearing anyone down, but I’m just saying I think you’ve got a responsibility to also, like, I understand how powerful my words can be, and I don’t want to be swaying an army of fans with certain comments sometimes,” Ferdinand added.
Read More: Analysis: How Michael Carrick’s biggest tactical fault must be solved to secure him the Man Utd job
Things are starting to improve at the Reds, pushing for a top-four place and subsequently a place in the Champions League next season, and being eleven games unbeaten before a narrow 2-1 defeat to Newcastle last week.
Comments shooting down current United players hold no positive values. Despite a period of frustration at the end of former manager Ruben Amorim’s stint, fans must back the players regardless of performance.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.