Rio Ferdinand reveals he rang Wayne Rooney to complain about Man Utd duo

Manchester United has struggled to return to the golden days they experienced while Rio Ferdinand was a player, with the former defender left upset by the club’s lowering standards.

Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he once called Wayne Rooney to complain about Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard’s attitudes.

Ferdinand and Rooney were members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s world-beating Manchester United squad. They have won five Premier League championships as well as the Champions League.

Ferdinand would leave in 2014, but Rooney would stay at Old Trafford for another three years. However, those three years would prove progressively challenging for the Red Devils, who have never regained the heights they reached under Ferguson.

Ferdinand was enraged by one particular incident following his departure. While Rooney was still at the club, Ferdinand called his former teammate after watching Pogba and Lingard dancing in the locker room.

He questioned the United icon about a decline in club standards, to which Rooney had no answer. Ferdinand disclosed the incident during a meeting with former United teammate Phil Jones.

Ferdinand was questioned when United’s dressing room became disorganized. He said, “I’ll let you know when it changes, from the outside.” I called Wayne Rooney after I saw Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard dancing on Instagram when we were sixth in the league.

“I called Wazza and asked, ‘What’s going on here? ‘How are you letting this? And he responded, ‘You can’t say anything, dude, it’s not the same anymore. He added, ‘It’s not just those two; if I said something, there would be a whole bunch staring at me like I’m nuts.

Jones spent a significant amount of time in Ferguson’s dressing room and throughout their fall from grace. He retired in 2023 after sustaining a series of serious injuries.

Given his experience with the dip in fortunes, Jones provided a harsh assessment of current United team composition. He pushed the current crop of players to step up and raise their standards.

“Back then [when he joined the club], when you look at the dressing room we had… we had so many incredible, powerful leaders that wouldn’t let anything get in the way of the team’s performance and the team winning,” says Jones.

“That winning mindset was so strong and forceful that no one could change it. Players may no longer have the authority to speak out and inform others that their behavior is inappropriate for the football team.

“I’m not saying that happens every day at the club, but if we lost a game, we’d have a meeting the next day, and not just with the coaches.” “After one loss, the leaders would say, ‘This is not good enough.'”