Rio Ferdinand believes one Man United star can achieve great things if there's 'consistency' in the team, despite not having 'one of his best games' in Liverpool draw

Rio Ferdinand believes that one young Manchester United star could achieve great things if he can find himself in a team with better consistency.  

Manchester United and Liverpool played out a 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo scoring the goals for the hosts at Old Trafford to overturn a dominant first-half showing from the visitors.

Ferdinand accepted that the unpredictable nature of Erik ten Hag's side was an issue moving forward, but that the club could focus on the positives that came out the performance, focuisng on one player in particular. 

Ferdinand told his Five YouTube show: 'Kobbie Mainoo goes on and scores an absolute wondergoal, his first goal at Old Trafford. Can it get any better?'

He later elaborated on Mainoo's well-struck curling goal from the edge of the penalty area, noting: 'There's some moments at the stadium that you watch games and everyone's looking at each other, like "Did you just see what happened there?"

'That was one of those moments, because it was kind of out of nothing as well. Good move, to be fair. The audacity for him to even take that on at that point.'

Despite Mainoo getting the goal which pushed them 2-1 up, Ferdinand said 'I don't think he actually played one of his best games for Man United in that way. He's coming into the team, but again, he had an impact, and at this level, that's sometimes enough.'

He added: 'Kobbie, every time he plays at the moment, it seems like he's doing something, or a few things, that makes you go at this age, this isn't normal.'

On the issue of how Mainoo can improve his game, Ferdinand said: 'You need the team to find some sort of consistency within a structure, and then I think you'll see even more, and then comes the winning element.

'But until you get that consistency of teammates, performance, structure, the whole 11 playing a certain way, and then he can build on what he's got now.

'He's playing off instinct at the moment, because that's what you do as a young kid. You try things, you're fearless.

'Next season will be the testing time, because people will know about him, and go "right, I've had time to watch him". Players study, they got enough data now, enough information to see.

'It's how he switches it up again next season. What does he do?

'But I do think any great young player, they do need the consistency and platform of a very solid foundation of a team, to be able to really produce their stuff. You'll see flashes, but seeing it consistently, you need that other stuff.' 

The Liverpool game was the third straight outing where Man United had dropped points from a winning position, after last weekend's draw at Brentford and losing to Chelsea in midweek.

Next, ten Hag's side travel to Bournemouth on Saturday, eight days before their FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Coventry City at Wembley.