Rio Ferdinand says Man United are 'one of the WORST' at paying tribute to departing players

Rio Ferdinand insists Manchester United are 'one of the worst' clubs at paying tribute to departing players and reveals he was 'p****d off' at the farewell he was given by the Red Devils in 2014.

Ferdinand's comments come a fortnight after Jesse Lingard's brother hit out at United for denying his sibling a final appearance at Old Trafford in the club's colours – labelling them as 'classless'.

Lingard is set to leave Old Trafford upon the expiry of his contract at the end of June, having earned just two Premier League starts in a disappointing end to his United career.

Lingard, who joined the club at the age of seven, was left disappointed by the snub to get on the pitch for a final appearance, which sparked a furious reaction from his brother Louie Scott.

In an emotional Instagram post, Scott said: '20 years of blood, sweat and tears, 4 domestic trophies, 3 cup final goal, not even a farewell. No wonder it's Conference League next year.

‘Attacking players for celebrations when the clubs being sold to the super league ok. Class of 92, Busby Babes, you’re ran by people who don’t even know the offside trap. Classless and the fans need to realise. Goodnight, godbless!

‘Been there since nine years of age and didn’t even get a send off!!! Well done bro your family are proud.’

Speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand insists he could see why Scott was so angry with United and claimed that the club have failed to honour some of the club's greatest servants on a number of occasions in the past.

Ferdinand admitted he was annoyed with how the curtain came down on his trophy-laden career at United, which saw him depart for QPR in 2014 before retiring a year later.

‘I think United are one of the worst at doing it,’ Ferdinand said. ‘You see clubs abroad when players who have given big chunks of their career, been successful to the clubs, the send-offs they get are phenomenal and rightly so.

‘But it’s not something… United don’t really treat it with the kind of importance you see at other clubs.

‘I’m not saying you deserve it but sometimes when you feel you’ve given a lot of yourself to a football club, it’s a nice way to go.

‘But it happens, I was actually p****d off for a while with the way I got told, I’m over it now, it’s cool.'

And while the United legend understands the reaction of Lingard's family, Ferdinand says Scott needs to show 'a bit of awareness', given it's happened to multiple club servants over the years.

‘Jesse’s brother, I understand how they feel, hot behind the collar, not happy with what’s happened,' Ferdinand added.

‘My family members were not happy but my family would never have gone on social media and talked freely like that, I told them, my family knew that, there was an understanding.

‘But everyone’s different, Jesse’s brother obviously felt the way he did, but you’ve got to show a bit of awareness, look at the history of what United have done with players who have done more than Jesse, they haven’t been afforded that send-off, so you’d probably put the brakes on reacting the way he did, but everyone’s different.’

Ferdinand's comments also echo Gary Neville's feeling on the situation, who said Lingard doesn't have a 'god-given right' to a Manchester United send-off.

Neville hit back at Lingard's camp over their complaints, highlighting the fact that United legends Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce also did not receive send-offs.

'There was a lot of nonsense spoken about Lingard,' he said on The Gary Neville podcast.

'He's been at the club a long time and done a good job. But I've seen Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce not play in their last games for the club and not get a send-off in cup finals.

'They were both great captains and one of them probably is the greatest captain Manchester United have ever had.

'They didn't get the send-off they wanted so I'm not sure why Lingard deserved it.

'I was thrown away in West Brom in a toilet - sometimes it just doesn't work out, Jesse!

'To feel like you've a god-given right to get some minutes on the pitch based on how they played. Not one of them, other than David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo, can complain about what will happen to them this summer.'

Neville was referring to his final professional appearance, against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day 2011, which ended in a 2–1 victory at the Hawthorns but saw him badly struggle.