Former centre-back made his feelings clear on Erik ten Hag's defensive switches for the draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
United started with and on Thursday night against Porto, but the pair struggled in . Both were withdrawn 11 minutes from time in that game, with and Jonny Evans coming on, and Ten Hag picked Maguire and Evans to start at Villa Park.
"Rotation," Ten Hag began when asked by Sky Sports about the double change. "We have so many games to cover, so we have to bring them all in, then of course you look at the opponent, what is needed for this game... and then you make a choice."
Ferdinand didn't seem convinced, though. In a social media post shortly after Ten Hag's interview, Ferdinand simply wrote “Rotation,” adding the quote marks himself, in what some have considered a dig at the manager.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
A number of fans questioned Ten Hag in the replies to Ferdinand's comment. "Ineos need to rotate the manager," wrote one, with several others using words to the same effect.
"Centre backs don’t need much rotation. Something else going on here," wrote another. That was a view shared by , who was on commentary duty for Sky Sports at Villa Park
“You don't rotate centre-backs. They've been dropped,” . De Ligt wasn't out of the firing line for too long, though, with a first-half injury to Maguire forcing the Dutchman into action.
Does Erik ten Hag know his best Manchester United XI? Have your say in the
While United have struggled in front of goal this season, they have been more solid defensively. Ten Hag's team have conceded just eight times in their seven games - the same number as second-place , and the former Ajax boss was pleased with that aspect of his team's display.
"I think the performance of United was very good," he told Match of the Day. "Defending and in possession we controlled the game. It was in the balance. We created chances but not loads. Also Villa didn't create too many chances. It was balanced. We hit the crossbar, they had a shot blocked."
That late chance was snuffed out as Diogo Dalot got in the way of Jaden Philogene's effort. However, co-commentator Carragher for allowing the hosts to get that close.
"It looked like it was going to be a certain goal!" Carragher said. "I don't know what De Ligt is doing. [Diogo] Dalot turns his back and gets a little bit of luck."
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
