Ferdinand questions Solskjaer, Maguire over Man Utd ‘hugging’
Rio Ferdinand thinks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book and tell his Man Utd players they can’t be “hugging” Man City players on derby day.
Harry Maguire was seen exchanging pleasantries and giving a hug to England team-mate John Stones following a 0-0 draw in the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Roy Keane was critical of the Man Utd players and staff for “smiling and hugging” following the match, he said on Sky Sports: “The fans is a big issue for derby games but still the quality on the pitch, go and find a way.
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“And, like I said, at the end of the game with the staff smiling and hugging, the players chatting – just get down the tunnel. I don’t get it. Everyone wants to be pals with each other.
“You are playing for these clubs, particularly Man Utd, win football matches not to be mates with everybody.”
And Ferdinand echoed Keane’s thoughts and added that he wants to see Solskjaer or another member of staff calling out players for hugs.
Ferdinand told FIVE: “Boring Manchester derby. Normally there’s pushing and shoving, normally there’s some needle in the game, some goals. This was just a 0-0 borefest, and at the end hugs all around.
“I think it’s been well documented on social media. Listen, the new generation are different, we can’t expect them to be the same as the way we were. We weren’t hugging and kissing any Man City players or Liverpool players when we were playing because it was just a mad rivalry.
“Didn’t like them, didn’t like being at their stadium for longer than we needed to be, didn’t want to bump into any City fans during the week or after and the players, we were amicable. I get on with Joleon Lescott, Vinny Kompany among others, Joe Hart, Gareth Barry, all players who played for Man City at the time.
“But during the time we weren’t close and hugs wouldn’t have been part of what we were doing. A good shake of the hand, ‘how are you doing mate’ with a grimace. There was an undertone there because we were rivals, it’s as simple as that.
“I don’t understand, I don’t get the hugging really. It’s not something I’ve done, I would’ve been on at people for doing it. But I understand this generation are different.
“I’ll never forget, and this is what needs to happen. When I played for Man United, the first Manchester derby I played in was at Maine Road, the old Man City stadium.
“We got beat 3-1 I think, [Shaun] Goater scored a couple and they beat us. Coming into the changing room I could feel it, I could sense the atmosphere. Sat down, Ruud van Nistelrooy walks in with a Man City shirt. He’d swapped a shirt.
“Sir Alex Ferguson went off his head, he went nuts. He didn’t go red, he went purple. He went mad. He absolutely flipped, ‘don’t you ever come into a changing room after a derby with a shirt of theirs. Ever. Don’t bring one in this changing room’.
“From that moment I knew. I had the feeling before, but I was in no uncertain terms after I left the changing room that day that hugs and kisses, swapping shirts don’t happen in Man United vs Man City.
“That’s the way that I was shown at the beginning and that’s the way I continued. The question now is… is that the law being laid down now by the people that are there?
“Is there someone looking at a picture of the captain [Maguire] hugging one of their players? They might be mates, that’s fair, that’s fine, but is there someone in there saying, ‘listen, we don’t do that in here, what are you doing?’
“Who is that person telling him that? That’s the difference.”