02 March 2024 , 20:57
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Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand overlooked his old team-mate Roy Keane when picking a combined Manchester Derby XI for the 21st century.
Ireland international Keane arguably played his best football for United in the 90s, but was still skippering the side to Premier League titles into the new millennium. And yet, despite United winning several Premier League titles between 2000 and 2013, City dominate the midfield in Ferdinand's reckoning.
The two Manchester clubs are due to face off on Sunday in a clash with significant potential repercussions for both teams. City need to win to keep pace with title rivals Liverpool, who snatched a late win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while anything but three points for United would see them lose ground on Aston Villa and Spurs in the Champions League chase.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube show, Ferdinand and co-host Stephen Howson put together a combined XI with six representative from United and five for City. Tellingly, though, all six United players made their name in the Alex Ferguson era... and the midfield three is made up of City players alone.
When it comes to the holding midfield role, the hosts consider it a straight fight between Keane and Rodri, with Ferdinand ruling out Michael Carrick and Fernandinho as contenders. While he was full of praise for both, he argues Keane and Rodri are on a higher level.
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"Rodri's nasty, he controls tempo, everything," Ferdinand said. Then, when asked about the Spaniard being on Keane's level, said: "In terms of influence on the team, I can't go too far away from that, because there's no player... when he doesn't play, City lose. Facts.
"He's the only player in their team that the level of the team drops down dramatically when he's out of the team. You lose something with Kevin De Bruyne, yeah, but they get through, they still win games, they still churn out victories... KDB goes off in the Champions League final and they still win it.
"[Erling] Haaland, out for most of the season at the beginning of the season, they're still banging in goals and no one's like 'they've fallen off massively' When Rodri doesn't play, they don't win games. "
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Ferdinand had to make a tough choice between Roy Keane and RodriDespite that praise, Ferdinand still tried to bang the drum for Keane. Reflecting on his own argument, though, he moved past the former United man.
"2000s, I think I'd go Rodri you know," he added. "When I was at United, [Keane] wasn't the Roy Keane I'd played against... physically, obviously it takes its toll, the way he plays.
"If this is 95-2000, there isn't even a conversation we're having here," Ferdinand adds, before coming back to Rodri. FInally, after considering the City man's "clutch goals" - a tally which includes the winner in last season's Champions League final - it's Rodri who edges it for the pundit.
Rodri beat Roy Keane to the defensive midfield berth (AFP via Getty Images)The other two central midfield spots are a choice of two from three. Paul Scholes is the United representative, but misses out to Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure. The formation chosen by Ferdinand and Howson helps push David Beckham onto the right of a front three, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left and former City hotshot Sergio Aguero through the middle.
In defence, though, it's almost all United. Not only that, but it's almost entirely the keeper and back four which led United to Champions League glory in 2008.
That means Edwin van der Sar in goal, with Ferdinand himself partnering Nemanja Vidic in the middle. Patrice Evra gets the left-back berth, but it's Kylr Walker rather than former United captain Gary Neville on the other flank.
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Keane and Scholes aren't the only big names to miss the cut, then. City's title-winning captain Vincent Kompany falls just short, as does United's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney, showing just him much quality there has been in Manchester Derby meetings this century.
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