Rio Ferdinand turns on Erik ten Hag with one-word verdict before Aston Villa vs Man Utd

Rio Ferdinand appeared to have lost patience with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag before this afternoon’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa. The Red Devils icon’s one-word reaction to Ten Hag’s team selection at Villa Park spoke volumes following a bold decision in defence.

The Dutchman was expected to make changes after watching his side concede three goals in back-to-back games against Tottenham and Porto.

But supporters were stunned to see Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez both dropping out, making way for Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.

Maguire’s inclusion came as no surprise after his heroics off the bench in midweek, netting a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a 3-3 draw at the Estadio do Dragao.

However, Ten Hag’s decision to drop Martinez for Evans, who turns 37 in January, raised eyebrows despite the Argentine’s poor start to the season.

Ahead of kick-off, the United boss cited rotation as his reasoning at the end of a hectic schedule before the October international break.

He told Sky Sports: “We have so many games to cover, so we have to bring them all in. You look at the opponent, and then you make a choice. There is always pressure.”

But Ferdinand’s vague reaction suggested he didn’t believe Ten Hag, sparking conversation on X by posting: “Rotation.”

The United boss was heavily criticised for his decision to withdraw Marcus Rashford at half-time in Thursday’s draw with Porto.

Rashford terrorised the left flank in the first half, scoring his fourth goal of the season, but was the attacker brought off after Porto equalised from two goals down.

“We have to rotate. Garnacho, we didn’t start him, but he had a great game not only Sunday but the whole season,” Ten Hag insisted.

“We go quickly with a turnaround to Villa and they have had a day longer to recover and we have an away game.”

Gary Neville was just as bemused by Ten Hag’s thinking as his former team-mate Ferdinand, claiming Maguire and Evans’ introductions represented the coach abandoning his style of play.

“If you had said to me five or six weeks ago that you would end up with Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire, I would have said there must be four injuries to the others,” Neville explained in the NBC studio.

“But the fact is De Ligt and Martinez have been dumped to the bench. You can’t really argue with the decision from a footballing perspective. Watching the goals they conceded in Porto, they were horrific.”

He added: “It’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water. It’s like when a manager is struggling at the end of his tenure when they throw the young players in, and they pick the ones they can trust.”