Rio Ferdinand picked his favourite players and surprised Manchester United fans

Rio Ferdinand was for years one of Manchester United's leaders on and off the pitch. He arrived at the club at the age of 23 in 2002, having excelled at Bournemouth, West Ham and Leeds United, and quickly earned a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's team thanks to his qualities: strength, intelligence and a winning mentality.

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During his 12 years at Old Trafford, Rio earned the respect and admiration of the fans with his more than 450 appearances and 17 titles, including 6 Premier Leagues and a UEFA Champions League in 2008. In addition, during those years he was also a leader of the English National Team, with which he played in three World Cups.

However, since his retirement he has dedicated himself to another soccer-related activity: he is a TV commentator and has his own podcast, 'Five'. There he usually gives his opinion on football using all his experience and knowledge, as well as being absolutely honest. And in this case that may have gotten him into trouble.

After asserting a few days ago that Arsenal's Bukayo Saka is not yet a world-class player, on TNT Sports he gave details on who he believes deserves that qualification. The problem is that this time he left out not only The Gunners star, but also all of the Manchester United players. Of the twelve players he named, eight are in the Premier League, but none at Old Trafford.

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Who are the chosen ones?

The list of world-class players according to Rio Ferdinand includes five Manchester City stars: goalkeeper Ederson, defender Kyle Walker, midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri and striker Erling Haaland. In addition, there are three others from Liverpool: goalkeeper Alisson, defender Virgil Van Dijk and winger Mohamed Salah. Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane complete the list, where Manchester United stars such as Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are absent.