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Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has responded to Gerard Pique's comments about him while taking the opportunity to aim a dig at Jamie Carragher.
In an interview with talkSPORT Drive, Gerard Pique expressed his admiration for Rio Ferdinand. He even ranked his former teammate higher than John Terry as the best center defender in the Premier League, saying:
"For me, when I arrived there, he was the guy, to really see what he's doing, to learn from him, he gave a lot of advice at that time that was very good for me. I consider him also, some people say John Terry, for me Rio was the best of all-time in the Premier League, at least from what I saw."
Ferdinand was quite interested to see how Jamie Carragher would respond to this remark. The Manchester United legend was previously ranked lower than John Terry by his Liverpool counterpart, who even referred to him as a 'poor man's Virgil van Dijk' (via talkSPORT).
Ferdinand teased Carragher on Instagram by tagging him in a post referencing Pique's comments.
"@23_carra will be fuming,” Ferdinand wrote along with four laughing emojis. “‘Ahhh it’s ya mate… blah blah blah."
Ferdinand and Pique were teammates under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United from 2004 to 2008. They enjoyed a good deal of success together, including winning the Champions League in 2008.
Gareth Southgate back for Manchester United's managerial role by former midfielder
Manchester United are reportedly considering hiring Gareth Southgate as manager, as uncertainties persist around Erik ten Hag's future with the club.
The Red Devils are looking to win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League this season. If these objectives are not achieved, the club may sack Ten Hag and search for a new management.
Gareth Southgate's stature has grown after leading England to a major tournament final, and there are now rumors linking him to the Old Trafford job. United icon Roy Keane told Stick to Football podcast (via Mirror):
“I could see that happening [Gareth Southgate being the next Manchester United manager]. Well, obviously everyone’s thinking he’s probably going to be with England this summer if he has a good Championship, thinking if they could win it."
He added:
"And if they don’t, then maybe they’re thinking maybe you’ve ran your race with him. His connection with Dan Ashworth, who he has worked with previously. Yeah, I’m not that surprised with it.”
However, some will doubt Southgate's capacity to lead a club squad in light of his poor record with Middlesbrough after they were relegated to the Championship under the England boss.
