Rio Ferdinand lauds England ace Ella Toone as she overcomes ‘personal tragedy’ to shine
As the Red Devils’ preparation for their Manchester Derby, Rio Ferdinand praised Ella Toone, a star of Manchester United.
Just one point separates the rivals in the Women’s Super League ahead of Sunday’s clash at Etihad Stadium. Toone, who joined United’s academy at just eight, returned from injury last week in time for the huge encounter.
Ferdinand, who played for Man Utd for 12 years, urged Toone to “make sure Manchester is Red” in an Instagram post plugging the media package ahead of the tie. Toone, who has made 53 appearances since 2021, is also credited with overcoming “personal tragedy” this year to continue to perform well for both United and England.
Her dad died in September last year just days before his 60th birthday, a tragedy which left Toone, 25, heartbroken. Her teammates extended unwavering support to Nick and paid emotional homage to him, as well as those who knew him.
Despite the tragedy, the midfielder played twice for United in the same month – and helped the side win on both occasions, 3-0 at home to West Ham United and a 1-0 triumph at Everton. In October, in a friendly against Germany, the England team wore black armbands as a mark of respect for Nick.
Ferdinand, who lost his wife Rebecca Ellison to cancer in 2015, wrote on Instagram: “Great to finally meet up with Ella…chatting all things football &, family and to cap it off what a lovely &, down to earth young lady! Even her own handling of the family tragedy is inspiring in and of itself, let alone what she has accomplished as a football player. Good luck for the weekend, let’s make sure Manchester is Red! Interview dropping 28.01… Stay tuned”.
The Instagram post has received more than 50,000 likes, and many people are expressing their support for Toone ahead of the Manchester Derby. United won three games, two in the league, and one in the cup, before winning. Marc Skinner’s side received huge praise after their 4-0 win over Liverpool in December.
But City, currently second on 22 points, lost their last league game – 2-1 at Everton on December 15. They did overcome Ipswich 3-0 in the FA Cup, though, last weekend, in which Laura Coombs scored.
Source: Mirror
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