Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Manchester United after they surrendered the lead once again during their 1-1 draw with Southampton.
In an almost carbon copy of their prior Premier League outing against Burnley, United took the lead during a promising open half before conceding an equaliser just after the break.
Old Trafford legend Ferdinand said he has seen positives in the way United have started games but that individual errors are ‘killing the team’.
A bright start was again ruined by a poor second-half performance from Manchester United
Jadon Sancho scored the opener before Che Adams bagged the equaliser for Southampton
He said on his Five with Vibe podcast: ‘In the first 20 to 30 minutes you go “oh – I like this,” there’s fluidity, there’s a continuity within the team, there’s a togetherness but the problem is weathering the bad storms.
‘In every game you get a five minute spell or whatever it is, where the other team get hold of the game and you get penned back a little bit whether you like it or not.
‘It’s about having the balls to be able to get through that, the knowhow and I think a big part of that is discipline – I think that’s where we lack compared to top teams.
Rio Ferdinand (right) said individual errors are ‘killing’ Manchester United’s team this season
‘When those moments come you need a discipline within the team, to say “we stick together,” in them situations, they end up becoming individuals more than ever and thinking “I can do this on my own, I’ve got to create a moment of craziness.
‘Individual mistakes or bad decision making on individual parts is what’s killing the team right now. Whether it’s missing a chance, final ball delivery or defending a situation. Individuals are making mistakes in them areas.’
Jadon Sancho scored the opener for United after 17 minutes before Che Adams scored three minutes into the second-half.
United struggled throughout the second-half with Southampton arguably the team more likely to net a winner on the day.
Ferdinand said that United’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde performances’ are repeating themselves and that they should have picked up more points under Rangnick than they have done.
In the ten league games since Rangnick took over as interim manager, United have dropped points in five matches to Newcastle, Wolves, Aston Villa, Burnley and Southampton.
He said: ‘There’s a video going around on socials of me and Owen Hargreaves on BT Sport saying look at the run of games when Ralf Rangnick got the job, ten or 12 games against teams where you’d think “I’m lucky to come in at this time and get those games cause they’re winnable, we should be racking up the points in them games’.
Ferdinand believes United should have picked up more points under Ralf Rangnick so far
‘I get it you’re going to draw a couple of games here and there but the way we’re just throwing games away, we start brightly we look like a team with an idea of what we’re doing and then it just falls apart.
‘They’ve got to unpick that within that club, what is the reason? Why is it you start well and finish horrendously? Don’t finish chances, don’t capitalise when you’re on top.
‘It just isn’t good enough and I know what’s going to give. I said before Rangnick needed time on the training field and he’s got that now and he isn’t producing.’
