Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has been praised for Rio Ferdinand amid talks of the coach being eyed for a potential role at Manchester United.
It’s been an impressive season for Wolves, despite the squad’s current battles with injury.
With nine games to go in the 2023/24 season, the Old Gold remain on course to at least secure a top-10 finish, with the prospect of Gary O’Neil’s side claiming a spot in Europe still a possibility.
The run-in is set to be more difficult than first anticipated due to the injuries that the squad has suffered over the past few weeks, with a host of the manager’s key players unavailable.
Amid all of the battles on the pitch at Molineux, O’Neil made the headlines for reasons away from his Wolves squad, as ESPN reported that the Englishman was one of the candidates for a future coaching role at Manchester United.
Rio Ferdinand shares his verdict on Gary O’Neil to Man Utd rumours
There was a lot of reaction both negative and positive surrounding United’s rumoured admiration of the Wolves boss however, many found the Red Devils’ supposed proposal insulting, Molineux News included.
Another figure that was left unimpressed by United’s reported interest in O’Neil was Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand, who touched on the subject on the VIBE with FIVE podcast.
“It’s all about personnel if they’re interested for one but also, Gary O’Neil, as a manager is doing his thing. He’s doing a great job, is he going to be willing to take a back seat?”
“He’s doing so well, he’d probably have to go on a quarter or a third of his wages he’s on now to go there [United] and be the second man and have no responsibility.”
“I don’t know if he’s taking that, he’s doing too well as a manager in his own right to be talked about, I think it’s disrespectful.”
“Gary O’Neil, who kept Bournemouth up, has gone to Wolves and is really kicking them on, to think he’ll go in at Manchester United as an assistant manager, if it was Man City or under Klopp at Liverpool, I’d understand maybe a bit more. Not Man Utd where we are at the moment.”
Gary O’Neil will be staying at Wolves despite Man Utd rumours
Ahead of Wolves’ clash with Aston Villa last weekend, O’Neil was expectedly quizzed on the rumours, which he put to bed despite admitting the links were an “honour”.
“Firstly, an honour to be linked even though there is no truth in it.”
“Of course, when your name is mentioned with one of the biggest clubs in world football it’s an honour but, as I’ve said, I love it here [at Wolves].”
With the rumours dismissed, hopefully, all talk on the matter will die down so that O’Neil can continue to focus on the job at hand at Wolves, with Ferdinand’s opinion very much a reflection of the manager’s impressive work at Molineux this season.