Rio Ferdinand reveals Man Utd player who worked harder than Cristiano Ronaldo & Wayne Rooney

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Richarlison reveals sweary outburst directed at Antonio Conte
Richarlison struggled for form under Antonio Conte last season
The forward managed just one goal in the Premier League
Richarlison has found form since Conte's departure

By Jack Gallagher
3:00 PM GMT
Richarlison struggled for form under Conte
Richarlison struggled for form under Conte / ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages
Richarlison has revealed details of his relationship with Antonio Conte, admitting that he confronted the former Tottenham Hotspur manager about his lack of gametime last season.

The Brazil international joined Tottenham for an initial £50m fee but largely struggled in front of goal during his maiden campaign at the club. Richarlison managed a measly one goal in 27 Premier League appearances in 2022/23 and largely failed to adapt to then-Tottenham manager Conte's tactical set-up.

Speaking on Desimpedidos, Richarlison and teammate Emerson Royal revealed how the striker's frustrations with Conte's tactics boiled over ahead of a game last season.

"[Richarlison] arrived late at the meeting on the day of the game, and the guy [Conte] said 'do you have something to say to the team? Do you want to apologise to the team?" Emerson explained. "He asked the other guys who had arrived late too, the guys said 'no, just sorry', then I don't know what got into [Richarlison].

Richarlison
Richarlison has found form this season / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages
"He was supposed to apologise to the group and to [Conte], right? Then he said 'ah, I think I need more minutes [of gametime]'. I think he understood it that the guy asked if he had anything, something to talk about, then he started saying that the formation we played in was [swears]. He said a couple of things."

"Richarlison continued the full-back's story, adding: "I came out saying everything that came to mind. 'I need more minutes', 'this formation is no good', 'I didn't adapt', 'this formation is [swears]'.

"I started talking, then the guys behind started laughing and I said what am I doing here? I didn't understand what he had asked, I started saying what I had already rehearsed."

Since Conte's departure and the arrival of Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, Richarlison's form in front of goal has drastically improved. Having scored just one Premier League goal last season, the Brazilian has already bagged ten in 22 appearances so far in 2023/24.

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Rio Ferdinand reveals Man Utd player who worked harder than Cristiano Ronaldo & Wayne Rooney
Rio Ferdinand hailed Carlos Tevez's work ethic at Man Utd
The forward helped the Red Devils to a UEFA Champions League triumph
Tevez famously starred alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney before joining rivals Man City

By Jack Gallagher
12:00 PM GMT
Ferdinand has discussed his ex-teammates' work ethic
Ferdinand has discussed his ex-teammates' work ethic / Clive Mason/GettyImages
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Carlos Tevez was the hardest working player during his time at the club, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

Ferdinand played alongside Tevez for a short but thoroughly successful two-season spell between 2007 and 2009. Under the stewardship of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and alongside Ronaldo and Rooney, the pair won two Premier League titles, the League Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

Tevez formed wonderful partnerships with Rooney and Ronaldo up front in his two seasons on loan at Old Trafford, with the trio combining for a rather remarkable 140 goals in all competitions in that time.

Speaking on his FIVE podcast alongside former Manchester City captain and current Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, Ferdinand was keen to praise Tevez for the part he played in that iconic frontline, insisting that the Argentine worked harder than both Rooney and Ronaldo during games.

"You mentioned his name there, Tevez. I can't speak to you without talking about Carlos," Ferdinand said.

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"A wonderful player. A great guy. Quiet, but an animal on the pitch. Didn't want him on my team in training, but in the game, come Saturday, there wouldn't be many more picks before him.

"He just managed himself in training. He just managed himself and didn't exert any energy in training.

"Come to the game, he worked as hard, if not harder, than anybody and he had an intensity that was almost unrivalled."

Tevez would somewhat sully his United reputation by infamously joining crosstown rivals Manchester City in 2009, turning down the opportunity to sign a permanent deal at Old Trafford. At City, alongside Kompany, the forward would win another Premier League title in 2011/12.

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Premier League Team of the Week: Matchday 27
FotMob - 6 hours ago
After yet another demolition job in the Premier League, Arsenal dominate the Matchday 27 FotMob Team of the Week. The Gunners ran out 6-0 winners over Sheffield United to heap the pressure onto Liverpool and Manchester City ahead of their top of the table clash next weekend. Who else made the XI though?
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Goalkeeper: Alphonse Areola
Areola is a regular in the Team of the Week. His exploits for West Ham have been a key reason as to why the Hammers find themselves in seventh position. The 31-year-old was the Player of the Match in the recent 3-1 win over Everton.

The West Ham keeper saved a penalty at 0-0 and made a total of nine saves at Goodison Park on Saturday. He faced shots with an Expected Goals on Target value of 4.11, preventing 3.11 goals on the day with a dominant display between the sticks.


Right-Back: Conor Bradley
The 20-year-old hasn’t missed a beat since coming in to replace the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. This time around, he didn’t score or assist, but he played a pivotal part in Liverpool keeping a clean sheet against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The young full-back won the most tackles (four of five) while also winning the most duels (10 of 18). Bradley also made seven ball recoveries while managing to carve out two chances as the Reds secured top spot for another week.

Centre-Back: Cristian Romero
The 25-year-old Spurs defender scored the goal to give his side the lead after Ange Postecoglou’s men came from behind to claim all three points against Crystal Palace. Romero also completed the most passes (117 of 126) in the 3-1 win on Saturday.

The Argentine defender was accurate with 75% of his long passes while also winning 6/8 aerial duels in what was an almost perfect performance as Spurs kept their top four hopes alive.

Centre-Back: William Saliba
Another clean sheet for the rampant Gunners, another big William Saliba performance in the heart of the defence. The 22-year-old finished with a pass success rate of 97% on Monday night with 167 of his 172 passes finding a teammate. He played an incredible 16 passes into the final third and recovered the ball on nine occasions, as he played his part at both ends of the pitch.

Left-Back: Jakub Kiwior
Kiwior joins Arsenal teammate Saliba in the FotMob Team of the Week. The 24-year-old scored in the 6-0 win over Sheffield United and he also created a chance. Defensively, he was switched on. The versatile defender won 100% of his tackles, five out of seven duels, and recovered the ball a total of four times on his way to an 8.3 rating.

Midfield: Phil Foden
Foden ensured Manchester remained blue with a dominant derby display. He fired the hosts level with a rocket just after half time and then lashed a second past André Onana with just 10 minutes remaining. He had a total of nine shots and created two chances, one of which was a big chance. The versatile forward had a total of 18 touches in the United penalty area and was the most fouled (four) player on the pitch.


Midfield: Rodri
Rodri was once again the metronome for this Manchester City side. He claimed two assists in the 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday. The Spanish playmaker completed the most passes (103) of anyone on the pitch, he created three chances, won five of his eight duels and 50% of his tackles in his 9.0-rated showing.

Midfield: Edson Álvarez
Álvarez really caught the eye in the middle third for West Ham away to Everton. The 26-year-old scored the all-important third goal in the 3-1 win to put the game to bed but his overall showing was ridiculously dominant.

For example, he finished with a pass success rate of 83% while also completing all four of his dribbles. The Mexico international won 10 of his 12 ground duels, made five interceptions and recovered the ball on seven occasions. At times, he was almost a one-man wrecking ball.

Attack: Kai Havertz
Havertz put on a clinic in attack for Arsenal on Monday evening. The former Chelsea man scored and assisted against Sheffield United. He carved out a total of four chances for teammates, finished with a pass success rate of 93% and successfully completed 50% of his attempted dribbles as he went on to claim a match high 8.8 rating.

Attack: Ollie Watkins
After his two-goal showing in Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over Luton Town, only Erling Haaland (18) has more goals than Watkins (16) in the Premier League this season.

The Villa No. 11 had a total of five shots and hit the woodwork but still managed to add two goals to his haul for the campaign. His form over recent weeks has seen him score five goals in his last three outings for the Villans. This coincides with Unai Emery’s men picking up maximum points.


Attack: Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli is another Arsenal forward who finished the game against Sheffield United with a goal and an assist. The explosive attacker had a total of four shots and assisted two chances for the Gunners. Martinelli had an incredible 11 touches in the opposition penalty area and involved himself in 14 duels before having to be substituted due to injury.

(Images from IMAGO)

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