Rio Ferdinand asked Erik ten Hag when Manchester United are going to adopt his style of play after their 1-0 win against Fulham.

United were victorious at Craven Cottage on Saturday thanks to a last-minute winner from Bruno Fernandes. Ten Hag’s team weren’t at their best against Fulham, leaving Red Devils fans worried about their chances of winning silverware this season

United have already suffered five home defeats in all competitions to Brighton, Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Manchester City and Newcastle this term. They have struggled to build on Ten Hag’s first season in charge when they finished third and won the Carabao Cup.

Some critics have questioned United’s style of play under Ten Hag. The Dutchman won three consecutive Eredivisie titles at Ajax by deploying an an attacking, free-flowing philosophy. In comparison, United have looked slow and unthreatening this season.

Ferdinand is one of those critics to scrutinise United’s style of play, doing so during a chat with Ten Hag after Saturday’s game. Ferdinand, who believes United are “lacking confidence” and “lacking consistency”, has told TNT Sports about the conversation.

The United icon revealed: “I said this to Ten Hag after the game, ‘When are you going to see your style in this team consistently?’

“If you haven’t got a style and structure within the team, all you do constantly is rely on individuals. That’ll only take you so far and gives you a ceiling. To get through that ceiling, that structure has to be in place to give that platform to play.”

United relied on the individual ability of Fernandes on Saturday, with Ten Hag’s side lacking creativity in the final third of the pitch. They’ve scored just 12 goals from their first 11 Premier League games this season, two fewer than Wolves in 14th.

Ten Hag tried to justify his style of play after United’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle last week. He said: “I can’t play like Ajax because I have different players. I came here with my philosophy based on possession, but also (I want) to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United and combine it with the competences and the characters of the players.

United’s win against Fulham has eased the pressure on Ten Hag, but they will need to put a run of good results together if he’s to keep his job. Ferdinand believes the manager deserves time after winning silverware and qualifying for the Champions League last term.

Ferdinand added: “He deserves time, I finished the last season very optimistic about this season… We’ve had a lot of injuries, he hasn’t been able to pick the same back four this season. You have to sympathise, but it’s no excuse. Manchester United, the way the club’s been built, has to get results regardless of who’s there.”