Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has admitted that the gulf in class between his old club and Manchester City is much bigger than he had thought it was prior to kick-off.
The former England defender made the admission after watching United get battered 6-3 by their cross-city rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Hat-tricks from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put the Reds to the sword, leaving manager Erik ten Hag to reflect on a disastrous day at the office.
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United arrived at the Etihad on a run of four successive Premier League wins, meaning confidence within the camp was high, despite going four weeks without a league fixture. The Reds, although they were underdogs, were in a better place to challenge City than on their last meeting in March.
However, they were blown away, leaving Ferdinand to deliver an honest post-match assessment, admitting that he thought United were closer to City than they actually are.
"The gulf in class between Manchester United and Manchester City is bigger than I thought before this game had kicked off," Ferdinand admitted, posting on his Twitter page. "Absolutely dismantled… gulf between the two sides in Manchester! We showed some fight [in the] second half or City took foot of the gas..."
Ferdinand later shared an insight into the mood inside his WhatsApp group, adding: "WhatsApp group's on fire... for all the wrong reasons."
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