Rio Ferdinand has been caught by surprise by comments made by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ferdinand had previously claimed Solskjaer should have controlled Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes during last week’s 2-1 defeat at BSC Young Boys.
10-man Man United fell to a disappointing loss in their Champions League opener against the Swiss champions, and tensions were high throughout the affair.
Ferdinand questioned Solskjaer’s decision to let Ronaldo and Fernandes wreak havoc in the technical area after being substituted at the Wankdorf Stadium.
He told BT Sport: “If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling them to sit down.”
Ahead of Man United’s trip to West Ham United on Sunday, Solskjaer hit back at Ferdinand by suggesting he doesn’t know the whole story.
The Norwegian boss revealed both players were passionately protesting a late challenge by Young Boys midfielder Christopher Martins before promptly returning to the bench.
“Rio again, you know, sometimes he comments on things he doesn’t really know,” Solskjaer explained.
“It should have been a yellow card for the boy when he brought down Nemanja.
“Both Bruno and Cristiano, as competitive as they are, suddenly I had them on my shoulder. They were there for a brief spell and shouted to the referee.
“That was the aggravation of getting a few bad decisions against us. But then Cristiano sat down, Bruno sat down.
“We know that there is only one man allowed in that technical area and that’s either me or Carras [Michael Carrick] or Mick [Phelan] or Kieran [McKenna] who is up there.”
Ferdinand has been caught surprised by Solskjaer’s dig and reaffirmed that he’s the Man United manager’s ‘biggest fan.’
He told VIBE with FIVE: “Ole’s come for me the other day in the paper. He’s come for me. I can’t believe it!
“When I see Ole, I’m going to give him a big hug. I’m going to shake his hand and say, listen, it’s all love. I love you, man.
“You know I love you; I’m [your] biggest fan. Ole’s at the wheel, it wasn’t happening until I said it.”
Solskjaer and Ferdinand were teammates at Old Trafford for five years, from 2002 to 2007.
Ronaldo and Fernandes’ behaviour at Young Boys led many to question Solskjaer’s authority as Man United manager, especially with his squad’s prominent personalities and blockbuster names.
It, therefore, comes as no surprise that he has shut the former defender down so sternly in the aftermath of his comments.