Rio Ferdinand slams Man Utd’s decision to let FIVE unsung heroes who were ‘the lifeblood’ leave after Sir Alex Ferguson
RIO FERDINAND has slammed Manchester United for letting five unsung heroes who were “the lifeblood” of the club leave after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Fergie retired a decade ago after guiding the Red Devils to a 13th Premier League title – something they have not achieved since.
United legend Ferdinand played a huge role in that triumph at centre-half and was hoping for similar success under the iconic Scot’s replacement David Moyes.
However, that did not last long as Moyes was sacked after just ten months as the Red Devils ended the campaign trophyless.
Louis van Gaal eventually replaced him at the end of the season but Ferdinand left Old Trafford for QPR in the summer of 2014.
He was later followed out of the exit door by Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez, Jonny Evans and Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio Da Silva.
Now Ferdinand has revealed that he thinks it was a major mistake to let the four academy graduates go along with Mexican striker Hernandez.
He told his YouTube channel Vibe With Five: “They were the lifeblood of Manchester United, they all came through the system, all Man United boys, and that was lost as well.
“That was a part of what the club had been built on before, people who would come through the academy were integral to everything Man United stood for.
“And they were getting rid of those players willy-nilly, I couldn’t believe the club even allowed it.
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“What they did at Man United they could’ve done that for the rest of their career.”
Rivals Arsenal bought England international Welbeck, who is now at Brighton, for £16m in 2014 after 29 goals in 142 appearances for United.
Hernandez, now at MLS side LA Galaxy, was initially sent out on loan to Real Madrid that same year.
He was then sold to Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen in a £12m deal and later played for West Ham and Sevilla prior to his switch Stateside.
The Da Silva brothers were also flogged by United, with Rafael joining Lyon and Fabio joining Cardiff City.
But it was the decision to allow defender Evans to go to West Brom in 2015 that left Ferdinand most bemused.
And he is adamant that the Northern Irish star, who has just suffered relegation with Leicester, should have stayed at the club as first-choice instead of Chris Smalling.
He added: “He [Evans] should never have been allowed to leave the club.
“He was the best centre-half at the club when we all left.
“Smalling’s had a great career, don’t get me wrong, but Jonny Evans is a better player, 100 per cent.”