Rio Ferdinand has blasted one aspect of Manchester United’s performance in Turkey and has branded them immature following their 3-3 draw against Galatasaray.
Manchester United were in complete control of the contest in a hostile atmosphere at RAMS Park but the Red Devils let their two-goal advantage slip, twice.
A horrible mistake from Andre Onana allowed Galatasaray to get a foothold in the game but the United defence did not respond well to the pressure applied to them by their Turkish hosts.
The gaps in midfield, in the second half in particular, were stark and will surely be of concern for Erik ten Hag.
Ferdinand on ‘immature’ United
Speaking on TNT Sports, the former United defender said: “In the first half I was asking them to be uncomfortable and enjoy sometimes being penned back on the edge of your box, bank of four and a bank of five and not allowing a big gap between the midfield and the defenders. They were doing that.
“But it’s about doing that consistently, doing that rep after rep after rep. And that’s where I think sometimes there’s maybe a little bit of immaturity, maybe boredom creeps in and one jumps out and then they go ‘Oh, we’re out of shape’, and they look very open at those times.”
The Red Devils were caught out multiple times in the second half and the control that Ten Hag talks about so often was lacking in a frantic encounter.
United’s lack of control
When Scott McTominay slid in to make it 3-1 for the Red Devils in Galatasaray all the Red Devils needed to do was drop a little deeper and absorb the pressure.
Okan Buruk’s side were susceptible to United’s counter-attack and the Red Devils could have capitalised on this but instead, they decided to push for a fourth goal and left gaps in their midfield and defence which the Turkish side picked up on.
United were duly punished for this and could have lost the game. The lack of control from the team was, at times, frightening. It looked to be a case of lumping the ball forward and hoping for the best.
This will have to improve for the Red Devils’ crucial clash against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at a hostile St James’ Park.
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