RvP went from being a star under Sir Alex Ferguson to a sideshow under Moyes, says Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has lifted the lid on the tumultuous nine month reign of David Moyes as Manchester United manager, saying that Robin van Persie went from being the star man under previous manager Sir Alex Ferguson to a sideshow under Moyes.

There were constant rumors regarding a rift between the pair and the former England defender’s comments paint a vivid picture of life at United under the former Everton manager. Ferdinand feels van Persie didn’t feel loved under Moyes and his form suffered as a result.

The Netherlands international skipper criticized the tactics of the Scotsman during their 0-2 defeat at Olympiakos in the second round first leg match of the UEFA Champions League and some also feel he fell out with the manager regarding his training methods.

Ferdinand also commented that Moyes paid too much attention to the demands of fellow striker Wayne Rooney and that was another factor that affected the mental health of the former Arsenal skipper. It was widely been reported that van Persie chose to come to Manchester United from Arsenal while snubbing a better pay package at Manchester Cit simply because he wanted to play under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

He scored 30 times in his first season as a Manchester United manager in what was the legendary manager’s last season in charge of the club and his retirement left him in a state of shock.

Moyes, who was the handpicked successor of Ferguson never really warmed up to van Persie and trained his focus on Rooney, who he unearthed as a teenage while at Everton.

Ferdinand told the BBC after seeing van Persie fire The Netherlands to a 5-1 win over Spain that he was the star man under Sir Alex Ferguson but the dynamics changed when Moyes came in, who preferred Rooney.