Rio Ferdinand has told Michael Carrick that his first priority as Manchester United's interim manager must be to restore the confidence of the squad. Carrick, who took over after Ruben Amorim's sacking last week, will lead the team until the end of the season.
Ferdinand, speaking on his podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents, said: 'I think he's got to instil confidence back into this team. It doesn't matter what players you've got or how good they are, they'll never give the best version of themselves if they're lacking confidence.'
The former United defender suggested Carrick may need to adopt a more defensive, counter-attacking style initially to grind out results. 'They've got to find a way of getting results. If that, for the moment, is playing a different style of football that suits this group, perhaps more counter-attacking to build confidence… Then you can start moulding the team in time,' he added.
United currently sit seventh in the Premier League, one point off fifth place, with Champions League qualification the target. Carrick, a five-time Premier League winner with the club, faces a tough start with matches against Manchester City and Arsenal in the coming days. He is expected to abandon Amorim's controversial 3-4-3 formation.
