Rio Ferdinand goes over the top with 'scared' Pep Guardiola remarks
Ruben Amorim will officially become Manchester United boss on November 11 and Rio Ferdinand could not hide his excitement about the highly-rated coach coming in - sending a warning to Pep Guardiola
by Oli Gamp · The MirrorRio Ferdinand has claimed Pep Guardiola will be "scared" about Ruben Amorim arriving at Manchester United after seeing his Manchester City side thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
Guardiola's men were run ragged in Portugal as Viktor Gyokeres stole the headlines with a superb hat-trick to help Sporting come from behind after Phil Foden's opener.
Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag, will officially become United boss on November 11 - with his first game set to be Ipswich away after the international break - and Ferdinand could not hide his excitement about the highly-rated coach coming in.
The legendary former Red Devil said he would be over the moon if he was a United player and claimed Guardiola would be frightened about the prospect of facing off against the 39-year-old in the Premier League.
Speaking as a pundit on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: "I'd like to be in the WhatsApp group of the current [Man Utd] team, if they didn’t watch that they are lunatics. The conversations between those guys now, wow.
"I am sitting there as a player asking why he isn’t coming in tomorrow. I want him now. I don’t want to get carried away but I want some good times back. It’s been far too negative and depressing in recent years.
"You want a bit of sunshine and hopefully that man can bring that. But it’s going to take some time it is not an overnight job, but Pep will be scared."
How excited are you for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United? Have your say in the comments section
Amorim and Guardiola will go head-to-head in their first Manchester Derby on December 15 and the Spaniard will be eager to get revenge after his side were put to the sword on his final home game with Sporting.
Amorim has a huge task ahead of him at United, with the team currently 13th in the table following their worst ever start to a Premier League season - so it will take a huge effort to get the team challenging City, who are 11 points above them.
Fans are already anticipating some tense encounters between the pair - after Guardiola took a cheeky swipe at United and Amorim following City's defeat on Tuesday.
He said: "We will face them two times in the Premier League and maybe the FA Cup. In the Champions League it is not possible."
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.