Rio Ferdinand has defended Luke Shaw following Manchester United's victory over Ipswich, calling the left-back one of the club's four or five best-performing players over the past year, and urging United to find a "backup left-back" during the summer transfer window rather than a direct replacement.

Ferdinand has encouraged United to pursue a "backup left-back" ahead of the summer transfer deadline rather than a direct successor to Shaw. Shaw and other players under Michael Carrick faced heavy criticism following United's opening Premier League defeat last weekend to newly promoted Hull City.

The 31-year-old left-back made a poor start in Sunday's match against Ipswich, being completely beaten by Fatawu on the wing in the 29th minute, who then provided an assist for Leif Davis's goal.

However, Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, leading a powerful comeback that ultimately saw the Red Devils secure a 5-2 victory at Old Trafford, their first win of the season.

Carrick substituted Shaw with Noussair Mazraoui with 17 minutes remaining in regular time, one of five personnel changes made by United's manager during a tense second half.

After the match, Rio Ferdinand strongly defended Shaw on his podcast, calling the English left-back one of United's most "consistent" players over the past 12 months. According to Ferdinand, United should find a left-back to gradually integrate into the squad rather than someone to push out the club's longest-serving defender.

Ferdinand said: "In some of my group chats, some United fans have said, 'Shaw, get rid of him!'... Luke Shaw has been one of our most consistent players over the past year, and you're sitting there saying, 'He shouldn't be here,' or 'He should be somewhere else'... No!"

"Go find a left-back that we're willing to slowly work with and develop into a backup for Luke Shaw. Do you think you can just go to the market and find one? It might cost £60 million, and we don't have that money! After spending so much on midfield, we don't have the budget."

Ferdinand believes one "below-average" performance is insufficient reason for fans to call for Shaw's departure. He added: "Look, Luke Shaw has had better performances, but is that a position we want to strengthen right now? No. We need a backup for this position right now, and we need to think long-term."

"Don't get too emotional. Too many people become emotional and take things personally, wanting others to feel he's not good enough. Look at his performances over the past year. In terms of consistency, he's one of our four or five outstanding players—absolutely no issue. One below-average performance today won't change my opinion of him."

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

Throughout the summer, United were linked with several left-backs, including Newcastle's Lewis Hall. However, Newcastle reportedly ruled out selling Hall, and the Red Devils ran out of time to reinforce that position.

"It seems the club doesn't think Harry Amass is ready, because at this point he appears to be some way off," Ferdinand continued. "That's just how it is, regardless of whether we believe Harry Amass is good enough or not."

"The club clearly doesn't see it that way, so I won't interpret it as: replace Luke Shaw. I'd rather interpret it as: find someone who can gradually become a replacement in the future, because I still think Luke Shaw is more than capable of playing. It's just that there are too many matches this season, and he can't play all of them."

Following the opening defeat away to Hull City, Ferdinand was pleased to see Fernandes and his teammates return with an "entertaining" performance against another newly promoted side, Ipswich. Ferdinand on United's display against Ipswich: "After a somewhat uncomfortable first half, it was great to see a performance like that. We missed too many chances, and they could have been ahead at half-time."

"I'll say the first half was a bit tense, but football is meant to be entertaining, and you have to accept that. We're too pedantic, too critical. Sometimes matches are just meant to be entertaining. Do you buy a ticket to watch the match live, or do you sit on the sofa and enjoy it? United today gave us a brilliant display, so you know what? After the first half, I was already satisfied."

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