"They've let stuff slide too much" - Rio Ferdinand slams Manchester United hierarchy for allowing players and others to 'disrespect the club publicly'

Manchester United seem to be enduring a torrid time on the pitch and currently find themselves in seventh place on the Premier League table, 22 points adrift of league leaders and arch-rivals Manchester City.

Several recent reports have claimed that numerous Manchester United players are unhappy at the club and could look to leave if things don't improve soon. Some reports have claimed that as many as 17 players are unhappy at the club.

Now, as the old adage goes, there's no smoke without fire, and former Manchester United superstar Rio Ferdinand believes that someone in the Red Devils dressing room could be leaking this information to the media.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

"There's a weak person in that changing room who is spilling the beans to their close ones or their agent, who is then spilling the beans to a reporter who is putting it out in the media and adding to the unrest."

Ferdinand went on to blame the club's hierarchy for being too lenient with people who disrespect the club.

"I think Manchester United's biggest mistake they've made in recent years is allowing certain players and people externally who are part of players' circles and networks to disrespect the club publicly.

"They haven't slammed the door shut in their face and really put them people in the place they should be.

"You can't allow that because the minute you allow that once, one step out of line, other players and people in their circles start thinking 'oh he got away with it, I'll say my thing because there's no repercussions, my player isn't going to come under any type of fire at the club,' no," Ferdinand said.

"You nail that person immediately and I don't understand… that's the mistake hierarchy at the football club in recent years have done poorly. They've let stuff slide too much. They've got to be drilled, those people," Ferdinand said.

Ferdinand also defended the likes of Donny van de Beek and Jesse Lingard, and said he understood their plight.

"Donny van de Beek, I understand someone like him being unhappy but from what I hear, [he's] not a moaner, he gets on with it and isn't going to tell his agent to speak in the media or spill the beans so that he looks like a certain type of character. Jesse Lingard [too]. They just want to play football."

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Ferdinand urges Manchester United players and club hierarchy to get rid of the 'bad eggs'

Rio Ferdinand wants Manchester United to get rid of the problematic personnel

The 43-year-old footballer-turned-pundit made it very clear that the club must become stricter with players who complain and cause unrest at the club.

"There will be players who are going to be bad eggs and say that if I don't play I'm going to make it uncomfortable for everybody.

"Those players, get out. You go to the manager and tell the manager 'get rid of that geezer, he's a disgrace in our changing room, he's ruining it and he's going to get beat up at some point," he said.

With half the Premier League season to go, Manchester United will certainly hope to turn things around amidst all the noise that currently surrounds the club.