Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand names his ‘worst teammate’ of all time and explains his ‘biggest’ issue with him

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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has opened up on his “worst teammate” after arguing “once every two or three” times with him on the pitch.

Ferdinand arrived at Old Trafford in 2002 from United’s rivals Leeds United and carved an enduring legacy at the Premier League club under Sir Alex Ferguson.

After his then-British record transfer of £30m to United, Ferdinand excelled in the heart of the Red Devils’ defence and hoovered up major silverware at Old Trafford.

The 45-year-old footballer-turned-pundit lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League and two League Cups during his prolific spell at United.

Ferdinand, who recently spoke out on one of Erik ten Hag’s problems at United, also struck up a formidable partnership with fellow United legend Nemanja Vidic.

The former United defender played in a star-studded era for the Red Devils alongside several talented players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes.

However, Ferdinand revealed that one ex-United teammate stood out as his worst teammate and he would be “effing and blinding” with him during matches.

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United legend Ferdinand on his worst teammate

Rugby League legend Rob Burrow had Ferdinand on his BBC podcast ‘Seven’ and asked the TNT Sports pundit about the best and worst teammate in his career.

Burrow told Ferdinand that he asked his former England and United start Wayne Rooney the same two questions during a previous episode of his podcast.

Ferdinand revealed that Rooney, who is now managing Birmingham City, would be his worst teammate and added that the pair never “came to blows” over their spats.

“The worst teammate I probably had the most arguments with [was] Wayne Rooney, to be honest with you,” he said.

“Never came to blows, it was on the pitch.

“We never argued in training really, it was just match day, we probably argued once every two or three games, effing and blinding, screaming at each other because I wanted more from him.

“I knew what he was good at and I knew he could do more. I’d want him to be more effective or something.”

Ferdinand explains his frustration with Rooney at United

Ferdinand played alongside Rooney for both England and United and his former teammate enjoyed a prolific playing career at Old Trafford.

Rooney is considered one of the best strikers of all time and the Premier League legend eclipsed Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring records for United and England.

Ferdinand said his “biggest” frustration with Rooney was the United legend’s desire to play Scholes-esque balls rather than focusing purely on his goalscoring output.

“The biggest thing, for me, with Wayne is he wanted to play 30- or 40-yard passes like Paul Scholes, and he could do it, he was that good. I wanted him to score 30 or 40 goals a season because he could,” he continued.

“We played one season and he scored 30-something goals and he wasn’t happy because he wasn’t getting involved in the game and dictating it, he was having to play high.

“And I couldn’t get my head around it. That’s the top striker, I want you to be that because I know you can be that.

“But he loved football that much he wanted to play football like he was playing in the park, and we used to argue, I’d tell him to shoot and he’d scream back at me. But they were good arguments.”