Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes the club did not deserve to go to the Champions League knockout stage.
Erik ten Hag’s side needed to win Bayern Munich at Old Trafford and hope Copenhagen drew with Galatasaray in the other game to escape a group-stage exit – but the German champions’ fate was sealed by Kingsley Coman’s second-half stunner.
“Very disappointing, to say the least,” Ferdinand said on TNT Sports. “You look at that group when it came out, you would have expected Manchester United to go through, but to score three goals in each of your away games and come away with the points they did was criminal.”
Ferdinand was also dissatisfied with the open openness of United’s game.
“When you score that many goals in the group stages, I believe they scored 12 and conceded 15, that’s the issue.”
“Basketball football – you attack, we attack, and we see who wins.”
“If you’re not clinical, you get what you deserve.” If you can’t finish out games, you don’t deserve to advance to the knockout stages.”
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes claimed that the squad did not do enough to create chances for the attackers, and that Bayern should have scored more goals against the United defense.
“They were never able to find that cutting edge.” I don’t think [Rasmus] Hojlund was given a chance, and that’s where United faltered.
“I think Bayern had another three or four gears to go up and if they really fancied it tonight they would have done,” Scholes was quoted as saying.