Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has told Barcelona new signings Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to leave the club after Lionel Messi’s exit.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, as quoted by Metro, former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has called on Barcelona duo Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to ask to leave the club after Lionel Messi departed from Camp Nou.
The footballing world is still yet to come to terms with the shocking developments that happened last week, with Barcelona confirming that they would not be renewing Messi’s contract because of the financial limitations and the La Liga Financial Fair Play rules.
While the 34-year-old had been a free agent since the end of June, it was widely expected that he would sign a new deal at Barcelona. But that was not to be, despite the club and the player having agreed a contract. On Sunday, Messi himself announced his departure in an emotional press conference, bringing an end to a glorious career at Camp Nou.
The after-effects of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s departure will be felt by Barcelona on and off the pitch for a considerable time. The morale of the squad will also likely have been affected. In fact, there had been rumours soon after the announcement that Sergio Aguero, who had only signed this summer on a free transfer, already wanted to leave as he joined the Catalans to play with close friend Messi.
Spare a thought for Sergio Aguero, who went to Barcelona pretty much just so he could play with Lionel Messi.
Now all he'll get is the chance to watch Antoine Griezmann play Fortnite and Memphis Depay lay down tracks for his new album.???#Messi #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/1xVrbwXmp2
— BETFRED (@Betfred) August 5, 2021
Another fellow new signing, Memphis Depay, had also spoken about how he was looking forward to take the field with the 34-year-old. But that will not happen anymore. And, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has claimed that the duo will have been left devastated by the development, while he also told them to leave Barcelona in the aftermath of what has gone down.
“If I’m [Memphis] Depay or [Sergio] Aguero, I’m saying, ‘I need to back to where I came from, I want another club! I came here to play with Messi’. That’s why you join Barcelona. Yes it’s a great club and I’ve got great respect for that football club, don’t get me wrong.
“But let’s not get it twisted, these guys in negotiations with their contracts, one of the first questions is, ‘how long is Messi’s contract?’ and ‘is he staying?’ That’s what I would have been asking. Depay and Aguero will be devastated that Messi is leaving,” he said.
While it would only be natural for the Barcelona duo to feel frustrated with Messi’s exit, them leaving the club seems like an unlikely prospect as things stand. Aguero has clarified that he will be staying, although he is now sidelined for up to three months with an injury. Depay, meanwhile, has seemingly settled in well, impressing in the pre-season with his new club.