Update: Rio Ferdinand confronted me after I dug him out – I told him he’s in Man United’s pocket News

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan didn’t hold back in his assessment of Rio Ferdinand as a pundit – and he told the Manchester United legend exactly why

Simon Jordan has shared his recollection of a brutally honest exchange with Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.

The former Crystal Palace chairman, who is now a straight-talking pundit on talkSPORT, is known for not mincing his words. The conversation about players and pundits confronting media figures comes after admissions from Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher during The Overlap Fan Debate.

Scholes recounted how a current United player had requested a meeting to discuss his comments but never followed through. Similarly, Gary Neville mentioned on the Stick to Football podcast that he’s had conversations with several players regarding his commentary. However, Jordan admitted to holding back when it came to his interaction with Ferdinand after criticising the United icon’s punditry.

“I remember Rio Ferdinand coming up to me at the boxing and saying, ‘why do you have a go at me constantly?’ Because I expect better from you [Rio],” Jordan said on talkSPORT.

“You have the ability to give us more insight and you sit there with a load of old nonsense, trotting out your ambassadorial tripe because you’re in the pocket of Man United. If you’re going to be on television, say something meaningful.

“Nothing to do with me, but the next time he was on television, it was a Champions League commentary and it was brilliant with Joe Cole. I remember sending him a text saying, ‘that’s brilliant. That’s what people would pay to listen to’.”

Ferdinand is reportedly set to leave TNT Sports and does not work for United. However, Jordan has argued that many people around the game don’t respond well to feedback.

“We live in a society where people are too fragile and not resilient enough,” Jordan continued. “There’s something admirable about people that can say that criticism was fair and I’m going to approach in that fashion rather than being a child about it and say any criticism is off bounds.”

The former Palace chairman empathises with players battling against unjust narratives but maintains he has never crossed the line during his media career. On the other hand, Scholes suggested there has been a generational change in how Premier League stars respond to criticism, citing his interaction with a member of the United squad.

“Players can be a little bit touchy these days,” Scholes admitted. “I had a [United] player, this year, who contacted me and wasn’t happy with some of the things I’d said.

“He wanted to meet me at the training ground, and I said, ‘of course, no problem’, and gave him my number but he never got back to me.

“I would have done it. If I’m saying things I believe and he wants me to explain why, it wouldn’t have been a nice conversation, but I said if they or anyone else has a problem, there’s my phone number.”

Scholes has opened up about the challenges he faces as a pundit when covering United games, given the club’s rough patch. “It’d be so easy if you were a Manchester City player for the last 10 years. Where we are now, it makes you look like a bit of a villain,” he commented.

As United head into Sunday’s match against Newcastle at St James’ Park, the team will be keen to give Scholes something positive to talk about. Despite being 13th in the league, Ruben Amorim’s side will want to boost their confidence before tackling Lyon in the upcoming second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash on Thursday.