‘Without that man…’: Ferdinand highlights the detrimental impact one United star’s absence has had

Manchester United are now winless in three straight matches following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

As expected, it was an underwhelming showing from the Reds in the first of their final trio of league fixtures.

Leandro Trossard’s 20th-minute goal to break the deadlock was enough for the Gunners to take all three points back to North London and restore their position atop the table, although that could all change depending on the outcome of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City’s clash tomorrow.

It marked a second straight loss for United, yet yesterday’s showing was nowhere near the levels of humiliation witnessed at Selhurst Park last Monday. Crystal Palace notched four well-taken goals without a single one in response from Erik ten Hag’s men, earning themselves a first-ever PL double over the 20-time champions.

The captain’s absence has left a gaping hole

Shortly before kick-off in South London, it was confirmed that Bruno Fernandes’ remarkable four-year record of never missing a United game through injury came to an end.

He was omitted from the matchday squad to face the Eagles, and despite returning to training in the subsequent days, he was also ruled out of the Gunners contest.

Rio Ferdinand believes the skipper’s absence has been detrimental to the way the side has played in the past two matches.

He said on the latest instalment of his podcast ‘FIVE’: “All of you people who are saying [you want] ‘Bruno [Fernandes] out’, again, I want humble pie eaten. Because in the last couple of games, creativity has been a big issue for us.

“And without that man in our team, we don’t create noise, let alone chances.”