Ferdinand: Wants to silence skeptics

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Rio wants to shut critics up

Rio Ferdinand wants to win the Europa League and the Premier League trophy this season to prove Manchester United’s critics wrong.

The English champions faced a barrage of criticism following their exit from the Champions League and the rise of local rivals Manchester City, whose dominant form has set the Premier League alight this season.

United were written off as a spent force in December last year, but the club’s recent form in the league - bringing them within two points of City on top of the league standings - and their 2-0 win at Ajax in the Europa League, has put them back on the map.

“You can’t sit still or worry about what people are saying,” Ferdinand told Sky Sports.

“At this club it doesn’t happen. We just go out there and perform to the best of our capabilities.

“We know we’ve got fans to go out and impress - we want them talking about us in the right way.

“As players we demand the highest standards of ourselves and if we don’t meet them the dressing room isn’t a nice place to be.

“You don’t want to be in a position where you’re going into a game and you’re not fighting for titles.”

He added: “Now that they (Manchester City) are up there challenging we’re seeing more blue kits around town and more people are talking about them.

“You didn’t see that years ago. Now we want to shut those people up too.”