Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand spotlighted two first-team Manchester United stars at Old Trafford and compared them to influential players in the Premier League club’s past.
Ruben Amorim and his men will be back in action after the September international break, with Manchester United facing two upcoming big tests in their season so far.
The Red Devils will travel to the Etihad and will clash with Manchester City for the first Manchester derby of the 2025-26 campaign on 14th September.
Following the forthcoming encounter with crosstown rivals Manchester City, United will then host Chelsea at Old Trafford in the Premier League on 20th September.
United are ninth in the Premier League table after picking up their first win of the season last weekend, with the Red Devils losing once and drawing in the league.
Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand both single out Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire for one reason
Ex-TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand caught up with former Manchester United and England teammate Michael Owen for a sitdown interview on his YouTube channel.
Owen spoke about the culture at United and the former Liverpool striker asked about the ‘leaders’ in the Old Trafford dressing room now under Ruben Amorim.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the 45-year-old pundit said: “Yeah, who’s there at the moment?
“I mean, I can imagine Harry Maguire would be quite vocal and quite, you know, a leader, but…”
Ferdinand interjected during the conversation around Harry Maguire and the 46-year-old United legend added Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes into the mix.
“Bruno as well,” he said.
“Leads in a… I think he’ll lead in a different way.”
Owen acknowledged the role that Bruno Fernandes has at United and agreed with Ferdinand, but then the former United striker made a bigger point about the club.
Michael Owen shows Rio Ferdinand the difference between Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire compared with ex-Man Utd players
Owen made the clear-cut argument that figures like Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire do not emit the aura of influential former United players at Old Trafford.
“He does [Bruno], but if you look at your team and the team before that, imagine going into that Manchester United team with [Paul] Ince and Rob [Bryan Robson], Keane [Roy Keane] or whatever, [Brian] McClair and [Steve] Bruce and [Gary] Pallister and [Mark] Hughes.”
Responding to Owen’s argument, Ferdinand said: “It’s men. It’s men.”
Owen added: “You’d be petrified going in there.”
The former Real Madrid and Newcastle striker then made the point that Ferdinand himself experienced the difference in leadership with his United dressing room.
“And then look at the team that you were a huge part of,” Owen told Ferdinand.
“I mean, the leaders in there. You know, that’s a generation. That’s your Nev [Gary Neville] and your Scholsey [Paul Scholes] and your Giggsy [Ryan Giggs] and then you coming into it and even like then young players that come from like [Wayne] Rooney. He was a leader. But then they can flourish.”
The Manchester derby between Premier League sides Manchester City and United at the Etihad is slated for a 4:30pm kick-off time in the UK on 14th September.
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