Rio Ferdinand calls out Gary Neville after what’s been said about Tottenham player
Tottenham Hotspur have come under fire of late, but Rio Ferdinand leapt to one players’ defence after Gary Neville’s recent comments.
Criticism from pundits with long-standing ties to Manchester United came as no surprise after Spurs’ 1-0 win over the Red Devils on Sunday, with the maligned James Maddison popping up to score the winner.
Maddison – making his return to the side following a few weeks out with injury – silenced his doubters with the only goal of the game and made a ‘shushing’ celebration in the aftermath of his strike.
Spurs favourite Maddison received a fair share of criticism before and after the match for his activity both on and off the field, but his celebration and social media response have been welcomed by one pundit.
Rio Ferdinand reacts to James Maddison reaction at Tottenham
After Roy Keane and Gary Neville took aim at Maddison prior to and in the aftermath of his winner against United, their ex-team-mate Rio Ferdinand responded on Rio Ferdinand Presents (17 February).
Ferdinand said: “I loved Maddison’s response – it’s the best response you can get from a player. It sat up perfectly for Maddison, and he’s well within his rights to make a response on social media.
“He’s done it in a beautiful way, he’s put it together, stitched it together, and he says ‘yeah thanks for that Roy’.
“It’s a bit of humour, a little bit of personality – let anyone express themself when they score a goal and have a moment in the game, because that’s what we pay to see!
“You can’t pick and choose when you want somebody to be a bit volatile or show a bit of personality, you can’t pick and choose – Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, the lot of you [and] whoever else.”
James Maddison coming out of his shell at Tottenham
Although some of the criticism aimed at Maddison have been over the top, neither the Spurs playmaker nor his manager Ange Postecoglou have done much to aid the situation in North London.
Postecoglou has been hesitant to give Maddison much praise this season – or utilise him as often as he could have when fit – despite him being the Lilywhites’ top scorer with nine Premier League goals.
Maddison, meanwhile, has drawn the ire of many a pundit with his celebration after his winner against Manchester United, despite being well within his rights to respond having scored on his return to the side.
With 10 of his 33 appearances in all competitions this term coming from the bench and the England international rarely seeing out 90 minutes, it remains clear that Postecoglou doesn’t entirely trust him.
A winning goal against Spurs’ surprising mid-table rivals, however, could be the sliding doors moment for Maddison turning his and the Lilywhites’ season around, and if this proves to be the start of a run of form which takes them back up to where they belong, those critics will soon begin to cease.