'I'm embarrassed!' - Ferdinand slams Man Utd and questions £600m squad after Burnley loss

The former Red Devil believes the club are severely lacking direction and will quickly lose touch with the next generation of fans as a result

Posted Thursday, January 23, 2020 by Goal.com

Rio Ferdinand admits he was embarrassed after watching Manchester United fall to a 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side struggled throughout the 90 minutes in the absence of Marcus Rashford, with goals from Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez handing the Clarets all three points.

The result comes just days after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool and is the Red Devils' fourth defeat of 2020.

United's performance against Burnley left Ferdinard furious as he declared the side doesn't reflect the money that's been poured into it and that the club itself is lacking any real sense of direction.

"You said £600 million has been spent on the squad out there...on what? I don't see it. I don't see that money," Ferdinand said on BT Sport.

"What has been brought? There's nothing there that suggests to me that this is laying down the foundations for the future.

"I'm sitting up here and if I'm honest, I'm embarrassed. It's embarrassing to be here. Not just about the team's performance but I don't see what's coming next, I don't see a pathway, I don't see a target being set on the wall and saying we're going to get to there. I just don't see it.

"Put today's result to one side. I'm talking about recruitment and the actual building of the squad, the foundations that are being put in place for this squad now to go on and challenge at some point, not immediately, be realistic in a couple years maybe, build that squad, but money has been spent willy nilly the last seven years - what's to show for it here?

"I don't see what's there. You can't defend this.

"There's young kids in schools around the country, they're not going to be wearing Man Utd shirts, they're not going to want to come here and support Man Utd based on what you're seeing out there. It's just not going to happen.

"Fans are walking out after 84 minutes, it's an embarrassment. People at the top need to look and see this and actually make changes, put a plan in place where people can actually see where we're going now, I don't see it."

Ferdinand also stressed that the Red Devils are lacking from any long-term vision as he highlighted how much the club's recruitment differs from league leaders Liverpool.

"I am a football fan. I love this club and want it to do well. Since that point [beating PSG last year] it has been a rocky road. It is not just one area. It all needs to be brought together and it needs someone to come in with a vision to do that," Ferdinand added.

"You look at some of the players that have come in - were these players ever Manchester United players, really? Who is buying these players? The manager who wanted them for now or the club?

"£600 million has been spent on this squad and the best players this season have been home grown talent. That speaks volumes about the recruitment. It tells you how shoddy it has been.

"Look at Liverpool, they buy the best players to fit in their system. It is not a short term fix. Total opposite end of the scale here."