"Forget winning a trophy" - Rio Ferdinand reacts to Scott McTominay's remarks on Manchester United's objectives for the rest of the season

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has disagreed with midfielder Scott McTominay's comments about the Red Devils' objectives for this season.

Speaking after Ralf Rangnick's men were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Burnley in the Premier League on Tuesday, McTominay told BT Sport (as quoted by Metro):

"No [top-four isn’t good enough without trophies] for me, no. That’s the situation we find ourselves in, it’s been a difficult situation this year and you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes and get on with it and keep pushing every single game."

Ferdinand, who was on punditry duty for BT Sports, reacted to those comments by asking Manchester United to forget about silverware this season. He said:

"What they need now is unity, see the five months of the season out and get that fourth-place. Forget winning a trophy, they need to get into the Champions League."

The draw against Sean Dyche's Burnley last night (February 8) once again highlighted the Red Devils' glaring problems. Despite starting the game well and scoring through Paul Pogba in the first half, Rangnick's troops fell away once again in the second half.

The Clarets dominated much of the second period to pick up a deserved point, thanks to Jay Rodriguez's equalizer less than two minutes after half-time.

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"Unfortunately, you're judged against history" - Ferdinand breaks down Manchester United's problems

Ferdinand also believes Manchester United's players are under pressure to deliver trophies due to the club's rich history. He said:

"Even Liverpool, those players at that club would’ve felt pressure from [the likes of] Graeme Souness, people that were there before them. Unfortunately, you’re judged against history. These guys will be the same, Manchester United of years gone by."

He added that the constant chopping and changing with respect to managers and players since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013 hasn't helped the club. Ferdinand feels his former side haven't forged an identity for themselves in the last eight-and-a-half years, stating:

"What you’ve got to have is a plan, build a structure, a philosophy and go forthwith it. The problem with Man United, they haven’t had that identity that every player has bought into and we’ve seen the turnover of managers, huge turnovers of players."

The draw against Burnley, coupled with West Ham United's 1-0 victory against Watford, pushed the Red Devils out of the top four once again. Rangnick's men are now fifth in the Premier League with 39 points from 23 matches.

They will look to get back to winning ways when they host Southampton at Old Trafford in the league on Saturday (February 12).