‘Those three’… Rio Ferdinand names the ‘best’ Manchester United players vs Manchester City

Follow us on Google Discover

Rio Ferdinand has named three Manchester United players who did well for Erik ten Hag’s side against Manchester City in the Manchester derby.

Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City away from home at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag’s side took the lead in the Manchester derby after just eight minutes when Marcus Rashford scored a brilliant goal.

However, City stepped up their game in the second half. Phil Foden scored twice and Erling Haaland found the back of the net once to get the defending Premier League champions over the line.

Rio Ferdinand picks Manchester United’s three best players vs Manchester City

Despite United conceding three goals, former Old Trafford star Rio Ferdinand believes that Jonny Evans, Raphael Varane and Andre Onana played well.

Varane and Evans were the two centre-backs, while Onana was in goal for the visiting team, who did not play as badly as some pundits expected them to.

Onana was an assured presence in goal and did not do anything silly. There was nothing much he could do about the goals he conceded.

Evans is in his mid-30s now, but he was a rock at the back during the time he was on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium.

As for Varane, the former Real Madrid centre-back made some important clearances and read the game well. The Frenchman, who could leave at the end of the season, was arguably the best United player in the Manchester derby.

Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “Jonny Evans’ performance, Varane’s performance, Onana’s performance, those three, even though we still conceded three goals today, the two centre-backs and the goalkeeper, I thought for large parts, were our best players.”

Bouncing back

Manchester United are now sixth in the Premier League table with 44 points from 27 matches.

The Red Devils are 11 points behind Aston Villa, who are fourth. Tottenham Hotspur are fifth with 50 points from 26 games.

I think that United could still end up in the top four of the Premier League table this season. The Red Devils will have to bounce back with victory over Everton at Old Trafford in the league next weekend.