Rio Ferdinand denies rift with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and urges Manchester United manager to call him
Ferdinand has said he has ‘no beef’ with anyone at Manchester United
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rio Ferdinand has denied reports of a rift with his former Manchester United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ferdinand has at times criticised the Norwegian, now in charge at Old Trafford, but says he has “no beef” with anyone at the club.
Solskjaer had accused Ferdinand of commenting on matters on which he didn’t “really know” after the former centre half labelled Phil Jones as a “waste of time”.
“Ole’s come for me the other day in the paper!” Ferdinand said on the latest Vibe with Five on Youtube. “He came for me, I can’t believe it!
“When I see Ole, I’m going to give him a big hug. I’m going to shake his hand and say: ‘it’s all love, I love you, man!’
Manchester United’s Phil Jones responds to Rio Ferdinand’s ‘waste of time’ comments after injury woes
‘D Day’ for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand claims
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s handling of Manchester United wheel impresses David Moyes
Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard ‘should be playing 40 to 45 games per season’, Gary Neville insists
Manchester United’s victory at West Ham shows fine margins between football’s big decisions
“I’m his biggest fan. Ole’s at the wheel, it wasn’t happening until I said it. I’ve got no beef, I’ve got no beef with anyone at Man United.
“Some stuff is said in the heat of the moment, and you get things wrong here and there. It’s a phone call, man - just call me.”
Manchester United are level on points with Premier League leaders Chelsea after a strong start to the new league season.
They survived a tricky test at West Ham on Sunday after Mark Noble missed from the penalty spot with virtually the final kick.
However Solskjaer’s side began their Champions League campaign poorly, slipping to a surprise defeat to Young Boys.
Ferdinand understands why Solskjaer reacted to his comments in such a manner.
“I understand it, because [Solskjaer]’s under pressure, it’s big pressure,” Ferdinand continued. “There are people throwing questions at you and you react in the heat of the moment, I get it.
“At the end of the day, I think they know deep down that there’s no malice in me. They’ve all shared a dressing room with me, they know what I’m like. If I’m wrong, I’ll hold my hands up, like I did last week with Phil Jones.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments