Rio Ferdinand conceded that former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick was right about the club needing open-heart surgery as the Red Devils\u2019 struggles continue. <\/p>\n United were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United on Monday, meaning they will end 2024 in 14th place, their lowest position at the turn of the year in the league since 1989. <\/p>\n Monday\u2019s defeat also saw the Red Devils lose three consecutive home league games for the first time since 1979, leaving them just seven points clear of the bottom three.<\/p>\n Ruben Amorim has also endured a difficult start to his United tenure, having overseen five defeats in his first eight league matches in charge, which is the worst record for a United manager in 103 years.<\/p>\n As Ferdinand dissected the issues that remain at United, his mind was cast back to the tenure of Rangnick \u2013 who was interim manager for 29 games in 2021-22.<\/p>\n The German coach suggested that the club needed a severe change in direction both on and off the pitch, with Ferdinand agreeing with Rangnick\u2019s comments two years on. <\/p>\n Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, he said: \u201cRalf Rangnick said this needs open-heart surgery, not a quick fix. He wasn\u2019t wrong! <\/p>\n \u201cHow true are those words ringing now? He was vilified and ridiculed when he said those words. He was so right.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think Amorim would sit there behind closed doors and would be thinking the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferdinand also urged Amorim to make United\u2019s stars \u201cuncomfortable\u201d and stick with his tactical approach despite their struggling form heading into the new year. <\/p>\n Since Amorim\u2019s first game in charge, only Southampton (seven) have lost more games in all competitions among Premier League clubs than the Red Devils (six). <\/p>\n They have also shipped the joint-most goals (21, level with Tottenham), but Ferdinand has insisted that Amorim should stick with his guns to get them out of their current rut.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at him, and you go, \u2018He still seems quite confident [in the] long-term. He\u2019s not going to change his short-term ideas\u2019. \u201d And I totally agree,\u201d Ferdinand added. <\/p>\n \u201cIf he changes and goes back to what they were doing before\u2026 it\u2019s not like they were winning! So why would he go back to what the players are more comfortable with?<\/p>\n \u201cI think his whole thinking \u2013 and I\u2019ve got to agree with him \u2013 is that, if this team were trained and understood the system, then I think they have a chance of being able to carry out what he wants. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we can expect Amorim to go back to type, to what they were playing before, to try and steady the ship. Because it wasn\u2019t a steady ship anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cI genuinely believe he has to keep doing what he\u2019s doing. He said there\u2019s going to be teething problems \u2013 maybe not as much as what we\u2019re getting now \u2013 but I don\u2019t think he understood what he was getting into. <\/p>\n \u201cThe scars that a lot of the players have as individuals \u2013 and as a team \u2013 are so big and so deep, it\u2019s going to take a lot of time to get back.\u201d<\/p>\n 14 \u2013 In Premier League history, four teams who were 14th at the turn of a year have then been relegated (Newcastle in 2008-09, Burnley in 2009-10, Norwich in 2013-14 and Leeds in 2022-23). Warning. pic.twitter.com\/gwNqMLldR4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.soccernews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/SN\/images\/300x250_HR.gif\")
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