Rio Ferdinand has sensationally claimed that Mikel Arteta would consider leaving Arsenal to take charge at Old Trafford should Manchester United come calling.
The Red Devils dropped an almighty bombshell as they announced that Ruben Amorim had been dismissed as manager this morning, less than 24 hours after the side were held to a 1-1 draw away to bitter rivals Leeds United.
Facing the media shortly after the match, Amorim went on an explosive rant, seemingly directed at the board, in which he underlined that he took the job to be ‘manager’ and ‘not just a coach’.
The Portuguese also suggested he would be prepared to ‘move on’ for a fresh challenge elsewhere at the end of his contract, which had been due to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season.
But the decision was ultimately taken out of Amorim’s hands, with the 40-year-old leaving with his tail firmly between his legs and with the lowest win percentage (38.71) of any permanent United manager in the Premier League era.
Under-18 head coach Darren Fletcher, who won five-Premier League titles with United as a player, has picked up the pieces on an interim basis ahead of the side’s clash with Burnley on Wednesday.
Reacting to the stunning news, Ferdinand said he noticed that things may have been ‘starting to cook’ when he caught up with Amorim during a recent trip to United’s training ground.
‘I saw his last two press conferences and I was thinking, “Something isn’t right here”… this guy, one of his best traits and most likeable things has been his ability to be quite punchy in his press conferences, upbeat, jovial,’ Ferdinand said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel.
‘The last two that he did looked depressing. I didn’t say it [at the time]… but the last time I went there [Manchester United] and interviewed Bruno Fernandes, I saw the manager and Ruben and I had a chat for 5-10 minutes.
‘He was warm, he spends a lot of time with you and he goes into detail. He’s open as you like, he’s an open book.
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‘But when I went there the last time, I noticed immediately that there was a coldness about him and there was a real difference to what I’d seen before.
‘Now I look back with hindsight, I think things were starting to cook before Christmas. This isn’t just an overnight thing in terms of his dialogue with the hierarchy and the way he’s been feeling about things.
‘This coldness I saw in the last two press conferences, I saw it in him. The vibe in the training ground around the players felt good, but he just felt a little bit distant.’
Amorim moved away from his much-maligned 3-4-3 system as United got the better of Newcastle on Boxing Day.
But the ex-Sporting boss returned to his favoured formation again for United’s next two matches against lowly Wolves and Leeds, a decision which Ferdinand feels may have cost him his job.
According to Ferdinand, the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo appear to have gone backwards while trying to change and adapt to fit the Amorim way.
‘There are far too many players who have underperformed in this team over a long period of time, that aren’t playing to their maximum,’ the legendary ex-United defender added.
‘You can’t tell me Manuel Ugarte is as bad a player as he’s looked in a Manchester United shirt.
‘It’s took Casemiro a long time to play consistent football at times, Kobbie Mainoo hasn’t even had a sniff and he was one of the best players in England’s Euro 2024 team.
‘You look at Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Diogo Dalot, there’s players in there, I know there’s more in a lot of these players, but I don’t think the style of play has enabled them to do that.
‘I would say that as well as having no confidence, loads of deep scars from what has gone on also contribute towards that.’
On his official X page, Ferdinand picked out Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Tuchel and Xavi as his three favoured candidates should United decide to look beyond Fletcher for a permanent solution.
But the six-time Premier League winner is confident there will be no shortage of interest, naming Pep Guardiola as ‘the only Premier League manager’ who wouldn’t at least give an offer from United some thought.
‘Unai Emery would be someone who would absolutely jump at the chance,’ Ferdinand explained.
‘Pep Guardiola’s the only manager in the league who I think would sit there and go, “I’m content where I am, I happy where I am and I don’t need it”.’
When it was put to him that Arteta would likely turn United down, Ferdinand replied: ‘Nah, I don’t buy it, I do not buy it.
‘He’s never gonna say it, he would never say it out loud. But I’m telling you, Mikel Arteta would sit there [and consider it].’
It’s not the first time that Ferdinand has made such claims about Arteta. In early 2024, the ex-England international suggested the Spaniard would ‘100 per cent’ leave the Gunners for the chance to manage United.
Ferdinand was keen to reassure supporters that they were in safe hands with Fletcher for the time being, having shared a dressing room with the Scot for 13 years at United.
On United’s caretaker manager, Ferdinand said: ‘He’s a Manchester United man, he’s been there since he was a boy growing up, he’s seen the good and the bad times of the football club, he’s been a part of one of the most successful times in the club’s history, he knows the principles of a Manchester United player and he knows the principles of a Manchester United team of years gone by when it was successful.
‘He’s been there in different roles behind the scenes. He’s been on the grass with the teams, he’s been alongside managers, shadowing coaching staff, looking at loans and players that transition from youth academy to the first-team and helping individuals.
‘So he’s done a lot of work behind the scenes to get to the point where he’s now holding the reins as Manchester United manager as an interim.
‘He’s a guy that understands football. He’s always been one of the guys in the changing room that knows the game.
‘Anyone who has any question marks or isn’t quite sure, go and look at United’s youth team over the last couple of months since he took over the Under-18s.’
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