Rio Ferdinand defended Luke Shaw after Manchester United defeated Ipswich, calling Luke Shaw one of the four or five best players over the last year. He urged Manchester United to find a "backup" for Luke Shaw before the transfer deadline, rather than a direct replacement.

Ferdinand encouraged Manchester United to find a "backup" for Luke Shaw before the summer transfer deadline, rather than a direct replacement. Shaw and other players under Carrick came under heavy criticism after their opening Premier League defeat to promoted Hull City last weekend.

The 31-year-old left-back also had a difficult start on Sunday against Ipswich and was completely beaten in the 29th minute by Fatawu, who then set up Leif Davis's goal.

However, Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and led a strong comeback that ultimately gave the Red Devils a 5-2 victory at Old Trafford, their first win of the season.

Carrick replaced Luke Shaw with Noussair Mazraoui 17 minutes before the end of the match, one of five substitutions the Manchester United manager made during a tense second half.

After the match, Rio Ferdinand defended Shaw vigorously on his podcast, calling the English left-back one of Manchester United's "most consistent" players over the last 12 months. Ferdinand believes Manchester United should seek a left-back to be gradually integrated into the squad, rather than someone to displace the club's longest-serving player from the lineup.

Ferdinand said: "In some of my group chats, some Manchester United fans said: 'Shaw, get rid of him!'… Luke Shaw was one of our most consistent players last year, and you're sitting there saying: 'He shouldn't be here' or 'He should go elsewhere'… No!"

"Find a left-back we can gradually integrate and develop as a backup to Luke Shaw. Do you think you can just go to the market and find someone? That would probably cost 60 million pounds, and we don't have the money! We've spent so much on midfield that we have no budget left."

Ferdinand believes that one subpar performance is not enough reason for fans to demand Shaw's departure. He added: "Look, Luke Shaw certainly had better games, but is that a position we want to strengthen right now? No. We need a backup for this position now, and we must consider long-term arrangements."

"Don't get too worked up. Too many people are emotional and have personal grudges; they want others to feel he's not good enough. Just look at his performance over the last year. In terms of consistency, he's undoubtedly one of our four or five best players. Today's subpar performance won't change my opinion of him."

"The only thing I'd say is that there isn't a really ready-made backup at left-back who you feel can step in immediately. We don't have anyone like that right now."

Throughout the summer, Manchester United was linked with several left-backs, including Newcastle's Lewis Hall. However, Newcastle has reportedly ruled out selling Hall, and the Red Devils are running out of time to strengthen this position.

"It doesn't look like the club holds Harry Amass in that regard, as he currently seems some way off from that level," Ferdinand continued. "That's just how it is, whether we think Harry Amass is good enough or not."

"The club clearly doesn't see it that way, so I wouldn't interpret it as: replace Luke Shaw. I'd interpret it more as: find someone who can gradually become a backup in the future, because I still think Luke Shaw is absolutely capable. It's just that there are too many games this season and he can't play every single one."

After the opening away defeat to Hull City, Ferdinand was pleased to see Fernandes and his teammates come back with an "entertaining" performance against another promoted side, Ipswich. On Manchester United's performance against Ipswich, Ferdinand said: "After an uncomfortable first half, it was nice to see a game like that. We squandered too many chances, and they could have been leading at halftime."

"I'd say the first half was a bit tense, but football is supposed to be entertaining, and you have to accept that. We're too critical, too harsh. Sometimes games are just supposed to be good to watch. Do you buy tickets to sit there and watch, or to sit on your sofa and enjoy the game? Manchester United gave us plenty of entertainment today, you know what? I was satisfied after the first half."

Übersetzt von KI.

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