Rio Ferdinand Presents

Rio is joined by Ste and Joel for the episode which discusses how Bruno Fernandes is moving into Ronaldo and Messi territory with his unbelievable numbers at Manchester United.Rio mounts a defence of former team mate Michael Carrick after people suggested his perceived lack of “charisma” is a reason that he shouldn’t get the permanent manager's role in the summer.You’ll also hear why Rio would “one million percent” take Max Dowman to the World Cup after he became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer and why he is already surpassing the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen who gained huge reputations at a similar age. The trio also look at the potential impact of Dowman’s rising star on club captain Martin Odegaard.There’s analysis of Liam Rosenior’s time in charge of Chelsea after it was revealed only 3 managers have a better points tally since he took over and Rio reveals why he “HATES” team huddles.And Ste gave a Stretford Paddock debut to a Premier League winner and reveals what it’s like for the other players in non-league to share a pitch with someone of that quality.

After Paul Scholes’ comments went viral following a loss to 10-man Newcastle, Rio went to do some investigating to work out what his former team mate was really saying about the job Michael Carrick is doing.After revealing what Scholesy told him, what Iniesta said about Scholes in a chance meeting and why Patrice Evra came out in defence of Carrick - Rio and Ste look at why people are perhaps discrediting Arsenal for their potential title win this season.Rio is full of praise for Arteta’s ability to re-invent his team and make them stronger and suggests there is much more respect for Arsenal in Europe compared to their perception in England.There were also two starts over the weekend for the players that Rio identified as England’s next stars as Rio Ngumoah and Max Dowman both played key roles in their club's FA Cup victories - you’ll hear what separates the top players from the rest when they break into the first team and also why academies aren’t preparing young central defenders properly for the rigours of the modern game.

After Sesko scored another winning goal for Michael Carrick’s team, Rio analyses what makes him so difficult to play against for defenders in the Premier League and what Carrick needs to do in structuring his team to keep giving the forward the opportunities he needs to convert chances into goalsSte and Joel join Rio after he spent a weekend witnessing anti-missile technology being used to protect the citizens of Dubai where him and his family are being well looked after and remain safeThere’s praise for Bruno Fernandes for playing with “risk” - something that was sorely lacking in the first 30 minutes of the performance v Crystal Palace and Rio gives some advice to Leny Yoro after he was isolated and at fault for the Palace openerIf you lined up Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandes and Steven Gerrard - who would your pick of the three be? The trio have their say - so make sure you do too…And after Harry Kane broke his own record of goals in a season - Rio ponders whether the comparison between the England captain and Wayne Rooney have to start being taken more seriously

Rio is joined by Joel Beya and Ste Howson to look at the weekend’s action both on and off the pitch whilst also looking at Michael Carrick’s selection dilemmas ahead of Manchester United v Everton on Monday Night Football.After Declan Rice’s comments about how the dressing room has evolved so that players are more responsible for upholding standards and discipline - Rio looks at how Mikel Arteta’s side responded to being pegged back by Tottenham and why Rice’s on-pitch apology is a good sign.4 Premier League players were racially abused over the weekend and following Vinicius Jr’s allegation of racism in the game against Benfica, Rio praises Vincent Kompany for the way he responded to a question about how football deals with incidents of discrimination. There’s a debate about whether Bernardo Silva is world class, why Salah might be “embarrassed” about recent performances as the Egyptian endures his longest Premier League goal drought and why Rio’s namesake at Liverpool is “electrifying”Rio Presents Brought To You By CRAFTD https://uk.craftdlondon.com/

In this episode of Rio Meets, Rio sits down with one of Manchester United’s most resilient figures - Diogo Dalot. From being questioned, scapegoated and loaned out… to wearing the captain’s armband at Old Trafford - Dalot opens up like never before.Enjoy this episode where Manchester United’s second longest serving player takes you behind the scenes of some of the most tumultuous times at the club.He offers a surprising review of Ruben Amorim’s tenure at the club and reveals why he thinks it’s one of “the most important periods” at Manchester United after detailing why all of Michael Carrick’s coaching staff are having such a positive impact.When Rio asks him about the impact of negative comments and reaction, Dalot discusses how his toughest season turned out to be one of the favourite moments of his career and why Kobbie Mainoo’s experience out of the side will hugely benefit the young midfielder.As a team mate of Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and formerly of Manchester United, Dalot reveals how a 5 minute conversation with the United legend persuaded him to stay at the club and why Bruno Fernandes is “factually” one of the best players in the Premier League. He also reveals what leadership looks like amongst the dressing room after the demands of Ruben Amorim changed the dynamic and discipline within the squad.

Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to look back at a weekend which saw Trent Alexander-Arnold be compared to David Beckham, Harry Kane beat Cristiano Ronaldo to a momentus milestone and the dust settled on Thomas Tuchel’s contract extension as England manager.With the title race taking a break for the FA Cup, Ste doesn’t take a break in analysing Arsena’s title credentials catching up with Joel for the first time since Arteta’s side dropped points at Brentford. Rio points out the key role of players within the dressing room who maintain perspective and are able to remain calm in this type of high-pressure situation.Joel poses the question about whether German football fans are more appreciative of England striker Harry Kane than supporters of the national team and Rio heaps praise on the forward who beat Ronaldo by ten matches to score 500 career goals.Ste and Joel produce various different stats when analysing the performance of Trent while Rio details why his passing ability is a skill that can often be under rated and appreciated considering all of the factors that are required to excel at that part of the game.