Rio Ferdinand 'expecting apologies' as he reacts to Man United's massive win over Man City

Rio Ferdinand has subtlety called out Roy Keane - and others - after Michael Carrick and his coaching staff led the club to a 2-0 victory over title-chasing neighbours Man City.

Rio Ferdinand has said he is "expecting a few apologies" after the former Manchester United centre-back defended the appointment of Michael Carrick and his coaching staff ahead of their 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday.

In a dream managerial debut, Carrick led his former club to an impressive derby victory over neighbours City. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu inside 10 minutes sealed all three points for United.

It's been made clear Carrick's appointment is on an temporary basis - with United set to hire a highly experienced manager at the end of the season. Despite his spell being short-term, Carrick ensured his first match in charge was a memorable one.

Former United captain Roy Keane has been one of the most outspoken critics of Carrick and his coaching staff. The Irishman was particularly critical of Jonny Evans stepping into a first-team coaching role.

Ferdinand came out in defence of Evans, questioning why his fellow ex-defender doesn't deserve an opportunity as a young coach. Following United's standout performance against City, Ferdinand took the chance to respond to the heavy-handed criticism.

He shared a post on X (was Twitter) that read: "Expecting a few apologies from people after this... Set up perfectly. Get in. Manchester... Manchester United."

Keane's original comments about Evans were shared on the Stick to Football podcast, where he said: "What has Jonny Evans done to be a coach at Man Utd's first-team?

"He left a job four weeks ago as a loan manager and ironically comes back working with the first-team. That's a big step up, isn't it?"

It was not just the coaching staff who were questioned ahead of the Manchester derby. Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt had also expressed doubts over Lisandro Martinez's ability to deal with Erling Haaland.

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Butt told The Good, The Bad & The Football Podcast: "Haaland would pick Martinez up and run with him."

Martinez, though, did deal with his opponent. Haaland failed to register a single shot on target in 80 minutes, before Pep Guardiola substituted the striker, with Martinez successfully keeping him quiet.

The result boosts United's chances of securing Champions League qualification, while the defeat significantly damages City's pursuit of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.