Rio Ferdinand is baffled by Erik ten Hag’s approach to two Manchester United stars after the Red Devils clinched a dramatic FA Cup semi-final win on Sunday.
Manchester United are through to the final of the FA Cup after avoiding a scare at the hands of Championship side Coventry City at Wembley.
Erik ten Hag’s men were comfortably leading the semi-final tie 3-0 in the second half before United suffered a complete collapse against Coventry City in regular time.
Coventry trio Ellis Simms, Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright scored late in the second half to send the FA Cup semi-final tie to extra time.
United fortunately made it to the penalty shootout after avoiding a late scare, with VAR intervening and ruling out a late winner for Coventry in extra time.
The Red Devils knocked Mark Robins’ men out of the FA Cup with a 4-2 win on penalties, with Casemiro missing the opening spot-kick for United in the shootout.
However, Andre Onana denied Callum O’Hare during the penalty shootout before Ben Sheaf skied his spot-kick effort against the United shot-stopper.
Ferdinand talks Ten Hag and two Man Utd stars
Manchester United will now face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley next month after surviving their scare against Coventry City.
The Red Devils suffered defeat to Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final, with Pep Guardiola’s men completing a continental treble in 2023.
Defending Premier League champions City reached the FA Cup final after a hard-fought 1-0 win against a resilient Chelsea side on Saturday at Wembley.
Speaking after the FA Cup semi-finals, United legend Rio Ferdinand admitted he questioned one of Erik ten Hag’s tactical decisions against Coventry.
Ten Hag withdrew Alejandro Garnacho in the second half and replaced him with Antony, with United leading 3-0 at the time the decision was made.
United conceded five minutes later and then Ten Hag decided to sub off Kobbie Mainoo in the 72nd minute and replaced him with Christian Eriksen.
Red Devils supporters were far from happy with Ten Hag’s decision over Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, with Ferdinand also not convinced by the move.
“I was in a bad way during that game, 3-1, 3-2 and then 3-3, and then they got the winner and VAR saved us,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.
“It saved us. We feel lucky man but that’s the way it is, we get to the final and, hopefully, we win now.
“Garnacho can’t be coming off of the pitch, Kobbie Mainoo coming off early – you’ve got young hungry guys.”
Ten Hag on FA Cup and Man Utd
Speaking after the match, Ten Hag insisted that United can overcome City in the FA Cup final and capture the trophy this season.
United haven’t lifted the FA Cup trophy since 2016 when Louis van Gaal was in charge, with the Dutchman later axed from Old Trafford despite his triumph.
“I want to win it. I’m sure we have a good chance to win this final, although we play the best team in the world,” Ten Hag said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“We do have a chance, though. We showed that this season. This season has had many ups but also many downs.
“Winning the FA Cup doesn’t make it successful: we want to win more. We have been in three finals in two years, which is good, but we had a lot of setbacks this season.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries and, hopefully, those players can be back for the final. If we go with a squad who believe, then we have a chance to win a trophy.”