Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United to emulate their Premier League rivals when bumps in the road occur under Erik ten Hag. After going nine matches unbeaten in all competitions, United were surprised by Aston Villa on their first outing under new manager Unai Emery.
United are still in touching distance of the Champions League places following that 3-1 reverse. However, while he accepts it was not a good result, Ferdinand says these setbacks must be dealt with proportionately as he points to table-topping Arsenal for inspiration.
Arsenal have continually backed Mikel Arteta since his appointment 2019, while even Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp went through learning curves on their way to success. But can United get back on their track in their quest to rekindle past glories with Ten Hag at the helm?
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During the latest episode of his FIVE podcast, Ferdinand said: "I was surprised. I've been walking around with a bit more of a spring in my step about Manchester United.
"I'd be saying we are coming back bit-by-bit. It was just a little punch in the ribs that we are not where we need to be yet, we have still got a way to go."
Ferdinand added: "The process what I'm seeing with this manager in terms of tactics and the way in that the team are playing, I'm feeling okay about it. Yeah, we have lost this week.
"But, in terms of the long-term picture, you have to trust the process and I talked about this the other day. Arsenal had a project and an idea of how they wanted things to go, but they understood after finding the manager, finding the right support team around him, that there would be bumps in the road.
"There are going to be moments where it goes off-piste, when the media and noise outside will be there. Then, it's whether they stay strong enough and believe in the project enough to stick by that person.
"Arsenal did and they are top. It's a good benchmark for how to approach these things.
"You look at Pep [Guardiola] in his first year at City. It's the only year in his whole managerial career where he didn't win things, but they stayed patient, the same with Jurgen Klopp... How long did it take him to win things?
"It tells you that you have to be patient, and you have to believe in the project. At the moment, if I'm honest, I'm on the side of believing in the project with Ten Hag.
"Yeah, it's a bad result and a bump in the road. But it shouldn't destabilise the project."
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