Rio Ferdinand blasts Man Utd chiefs over ‘clinical’ handling of Carrick’s sacking

Rio Ferdinand has criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy over the manner in which Michael Carrick was dismissed, describing the club’s official statement as generic and lacking a human touch.

Carrick was sacked on Thursday after United’s poor start to the Premier League season, with the club sitting 18th on eight points from 10 matches. Mauricio Pochettino has since been appointed as his successor.

According to Football365, Ferdinand was particularly unimpressed that chief executive Omar Berrada and other senior officials did not personally address supporters following Carrick’s departure.

Speaking on his ‘Rio Reacts’ livestream, the former United defender said:

“ChatGPT. Put it into ChatGPT and that’s what it spat out. It’s one of those generic, vanilla, clinical statements.” He added: “If you have someone sitting and talking, it humanises the statement. You can put someone to it.”

Ferdinand insisted supporters deserved a personal explanation during an emotional moment for the club, rather than a statement he believed lacked sincerity. Carrick later released his own farewell message, describing managing United as an “immense privilege” and thanking supporters for their backing.