“Whoa!”: Rio Ferdinand admits being stunned by what Dalot privately told him about Amorim | OneFootball

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he had a conversation with Diogo Dalot, in which the player made a surprise admission about now-sacked boss Ruben Amorim.

Amorim axed

Amorim was dismissed by United in December last year after an extremely turbulent 14 months as head coach.

Appointed in November 2024 to replace Erik ten Hag, Amorim arrived at the club to much fanfare and expectation, but he struggled to live up to the hype.

United struggled for consistent performances and results as the Portuguese coach went about implementing his controversial 3-4-3 system. Despite overwhelming evidence and calls for him to adapt his approach based on the players at his disposal, he made it clear that he would not compromise on his principles.

Amorim led United to a lowly 15th-placed finish last term, while also losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur. This ensured that United would go an entire campaign without European football.

Despite the alarming state of affairs, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the football leadership heavily backed Amorim in the summer transfer window, securing him the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens.

Minor improvements proved fleeting, as chastening defeats to the likes of Brentford delivered a stark reality check that United were not yet out of the woods. This, alongside Amorim’s treatment of the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, eroded confidence in his ability to lead the club.

The final straw was his public outbursts, in which he strongly hinted at fractures in his relationship with the top brass, especially director of football Jason Wilcox. United eventually pulled the trigger and named Michael Carrick as Amorim’s temporary replacement.

United have been in fine form under Carrick, winning four and drawing one of their last five games. At present, the Red Devils lie in fourth place in the Premier League table.

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand revealed that he linked up with Dalot for an interview, which has yet to be released at the time of writing.

According to Ferdinand, Amorim was discussed and he was taken aback by how Dalot spoke about the 41-year-old tactician.

Ferdinand left stunned

Ferdinand said, “Plus, you know, what… he [Dalot] was really honest about Amorim.”

“And quite surprisingly at times, he told us why that period under Amorim was really important for the way the group is now. So I think…”

“Watch the interview, but it’s really like, I mean, when he said it to me, I was like, ‘Whoa!'”

Ferdinand continued, “But then he explained it and it was really kind of like, I can see where he’s coming from.”

“It was a really open and honest conversation, man. We had a laugh and you could just see how much actually the… not only the club, but being in Manchester, the city, is to him [Dalot] now as an individual.”

“It’s really nice to see that: the context of what the city actually means to him. Now, he’s the second [active] longest-serving player [right now], by the way.”

United are next in action on Monday when they face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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