Sir Alex Ferguson’s reaction to Jamie Carragher’s claim that Fernando Torres gave Nemanja Vidic a hard time on the pitch has been disclosed by Rio Ferdinand. Carragher vehemently defended Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool star was heavily chastised in the club’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier this month.
Van Dijk is having a difficult season for Liverpool, who are presently eighth in the Premier League, and some are dismissing him as one of the best defenders in the league. The Sky Sports pundit boldly asserted that Van Dijk, who has come under intense scrutiny for his form this season, is “far better” than United legend Vidic.
Fernando Torres “far from” the best forward that Vidic faced – Sir Alex Ferguson
Van Dijk had a tough time defending against the young Gunners Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who carved out the Liverpool defense to race to a two goal lead within the first half an hour of the game. Although the Reds rallied back to earn a point with goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Van Dijk continued to receive backlash for his abysmal form throughout the season.
Carragher leapt into the defense of the Dutch international and hit back at the beginning of April, as he tweeted:
“VVD is far better than Vidic, who was a top CB, but have you forgot his performances against Torres? Rio [Ferdinand] & JT [John Terry] had poor seasons in their career like all players, VVD is having one now. No CB in the PL era has ever had VVD’s impact on a team.
“Never mind the best centre-back in the league, he’s been the best player in the league along with Kevin de Bruyne for four years before this one. We have never spoken about about [sic] other centre-backs’s being the best player before, that shows the level he was at.”
Ferdinand defended his former United teammate Vidic and debunked the “myth” that Torres had his number when playing at Liverpool. The ex-defender told Vidic on his Vibe with Five show what legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought of Carragher’s stinging appraisal. The former England international said to Ferguson:
“Jamie Carragher came out the other day saying that Torres tortured Vidic all the time and that Van Dijk’s better, etc. Do you go along with that? I looked at a stat the other day: 15 times we played against Torres, only three goals he scored.”
Sir Alex Ferguson had signed Vidic from Spartak Moscow, and the defender became an instant hit at Old Trafford. He formed a solid partnership with Ferdinand, leading the Red Devils to five Premier League titles, three League Cups and one Champions League title. Sir Alex Ferguson responded to Ferdinand, according to the United legend:
“Well, there’s a problem with what he’s talking about. [Vidic] brought [Torres] down twice when he was through on goal, so it looks like he was tortured from that respect. The second sending off was a bit unfair. He sort of grappled with him at Old Trafford and then got sent off.
“So I think Carragher’s saying the fact [Vidic] was sent off twice against [Torres] — once at Anfield, once at Old Trafford — suggests that he tortured him. Like all centre-forwards [Torres] had his qualities, but I wouldn’t say he was the best centre-forward that ever played against Vidic. Far from it.
“There’s a certain inclination and suggestion that because Vidic was sent off against him [Torres] had tortured him. But you know, one tackle can get you sent off.”