Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ricardo has made some pointed remarks about the state of the club ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League tonight.
Ricardo’s United career
The Madrid-born keeper came through Atletico’s youth team but moved to United in 2002.
He spent three seasons at the club but only managed five appearances for the first team.
Ricardo would later join Osasuna in 2005, where he would enjoy happier times, staying there for eight seasons until his retirement in 2013.
Comments on United
In an interview with the Spanish paper ABC, Ricardo harshly criticised the state of his former side, who are now languishing in 13th place in the league after six matches.
The 54-year-old former keeper accepted that every team goes through difficult periods, but United have not found a way out of it since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.
He said, “every team has its rough patch, both institutionally and on the pitch. Barcelona went through it recently, and Real Madrid had it last year. But they’re big clubs, and they recover. But some don’t, like what happened to Milan and Manchester United.”
Elaborating further on United’s downfall, he explained, “they can’t find the right person to run such a big and historic club. This year they started the Premier League in the bottom half, and they haven’t found the right formula with Carrick either.”
State of current side
Ricardo did not hold back either when he was asked about the quality of United’s side.
Comparing the talent between United and Atletico, he claimed, “yes, right now there isn’t a single player who’s stepped up, no franchise player to follow. Right now, if you look, there’s a goalkeeper who wasn’t even playing for his national team, the Belgian Lammens.”
Ricardo added, “there aren’t any charismatic players who can make a difference, and that makes things difficult. A new generation of talented players needs to emerge for the club to shine again. At Atlético, everyone is a top international; at United, none.”
The Red Devils will take on Atletico Madrid tonight at 20:00 UK time at the Metropolitano Stadium, looking for a much-needed win to kickstart their season.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
