Rio Ferdinand has been forthcoming in his praise of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United – although it appears the former defender might not have been completely honest.
Ten Hag takes charge of his first competitive game with his new side on Sunday as United begin the new season at home to Brighton. The new United boss will be aiming to improve on a poor season last time out.
Having held title aspirations following their second-place finish in the 2020/21 campaign, last season saw United fall well short as they failed to even secure a top four finish. Ten Hag has been tasked with a major rebuild as he aims return the club to some of its former glories.
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Ferdinand has been one of his most vocal supporters so far, having been left impressed by United’s performances during pre-season. Ahead of the opening game though, his opinions were put to the ultimate test.
As part of a feature with the Mirror, Ferdinand was hooked up to a lie detector and asked a number of questions ahead of the new season. Among some of the questions, the former United captain was pressed for his opinion on his former club.
The good news for United fans is Ferdinand does believe Ten Hag will deliver some silverware this season. Asked whether the Reds will win a trophy in the upcoming campaign, Ferdinand replied “yes”, with the lie detector confirming he was telling the truth.
Unfortunately for the former defender, he was caught out when pressed further on United. Asked whether Ten Hag will bring the glory days back to the club, Ferdinand again said yes, only for the lie detector to deem he had failed.
"Oh no, oh no," laughed Ferdinand. "I hope he does, I'm hopeful. I really hope so."
Reacting to the test, Ferdinand said: "It was all fine, other than the Man United questions – that’s when I started panicking.
"I want them to do well, but when you say to me: 'Can they win trophies and that?' I'm just hopeful. But I wasn’t lying when I said they were going to win something this year, so hopefully [they do]. Erik, please win something!"
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