Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson wades in on Jamie Carragher's Nemanja Vidic vs Virgil van Dijk debate

Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions that Fernando Torres 'tortured' Nemanja Vidic, adding that the former Manchester United defender faced plenty of better forwards in his time.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher caused a stir recently by claiming that Virgil van Dijk is "far better" than United icon Vidic was during his eight-year spell at Old Trafford, despite the former enduring a poor campaign at Anfield this season. The Sky Sports pundit cited Rio Ferdinand and John Terry as having similarly poor seasons during their careers.

Carragher pointed towards the battles between Vidic and Torres in which the Serbia international was twice sent off against Liverpool, but failed to acknowledge that the Spaniard scored just three times in 15 appearances against the defender.

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During a recent interview with Vidic on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand disputed Carragher's claim and called his former boss to get his opinion on the matter.

“Well, there’s a problem with what he’s talking about," Ferguson told Ferdinand. [Vidic] brought [Torres] down twice when he was through on goal, so it looks like he was tortured from that respect. The second sending off was a bit unfair. He sort of grappled with him at Old Trafford and then got sent off.

“So I think Carragher’s saying the fact he was sent off twice against [Torres] – once at Anfield, once at Old Trafford – suggests that he tortured him. Like all centre-forwards, he had his qualities, but I wouldn’t say he was the best centre-forward that ever played against Vidic. Far from it.

“There’s a certain inclination and suggestion that because Vidic was sent off against