Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin Criticised by Rio Ferdinand

Manchester United are just one point behind league-leading Leicester City in the Premier League standings this season, but former Red Devils centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes two particular players may be holding them back.

Ferdinand praised United manager Louis Van Gaal for the job he has done this year in a column for the Sun, but he also took the opportunity to speak ill of defensive midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin:

"

If I'm a central midfielder facing Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, I would not be worried.

They pose zero threat.

They are not players who can pass the ball like Paul Scholes or Andrea Pirlo and they don't get forward. They just sit in front of the back four venturing forward for set-pieces.

So as an opponent I can just concentrate on what I can do to them rather than what they can do to me.

"

The overarching point of Ferdinand's article was that while Van Gaal and Manchester United have enjoyed good results to this point, the door is open for their opponents to expose their defensive posture.

Ferdinand has an appreciation for good defence as one of the most successful defenders in United history, but he seemingly laments the fact that the club likes to sit back despite boasting so much talent.

Germany's Schweinsteiger and France's Schneiderlin are essentially the poster boys for Van Gaal's style as they have combined for one goal and zero assists in 24 appearances between them this season.

They certainly haven't been exciting, and Ferdinand may be right in his assessment that they aren't dangerous from an attacking perspective, but Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin have done well to carry out their manager's game plan.

Until the conservatism leads to losses, Ferdinand and those who clamour for more creativity simply aren't likely to see it.

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