Manchester United Legend Lashes Out at Mikel Arteta Over His Meeting With Salt Bae

Legendary Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has slammed Mikel Arteta after the Arsenal boss was spotted enjoying dinner with Salt Bae during their winter break training camp. The Gunners left for Dubai a few weeks ago in a bid to take part in practice sessions. Upon returning from the trip, Arsenal appeared in terrific form against Crystal Palace and registered a dominant 5-0 win in the Premier League fixture at home. During their stay in the UAE, the Arsenal players, along with their manager, visited the hugely popular Nusr-Et Steakhouse in Abu Dhabi to have dinner.

In a video, currently going viral on social media, Mikel Arteta was seen engaging in a chat with Salt Bae, who asked him to have a bite of some kind of steak. After preparing the dish, the Turkish chef was spotted feeding Arteta a piece of the steak. This is what seems to have irked Rio Ferdinand, who could not accept such behaviour from the Arsenal manager. On a recent episode of his Vibe With Five YouTube podcast, the Manchester United legend brutally criticised Arteta for his act.

“Salt Bae was feeding some of the guests at my wedding like that. If I’m paying for that he ain’t feeding me nothing, not having it, but he was going around some of the guests doing that,” Rio Ferdinand said. According to the 45-year-old, neither a Manchester United manager nor Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would have ever done something like this. “Only an Arsenal manager would do that type of stupidness,” Ferdinand added.

Salt Bae, who has a huge fan-following on social media, is often seen spending time and clicking photos with global celebrities. He also visited Qatar to attend the FIFA World Cup final in 2022. After the Argentina football team won the title by beating France in the summit clash, Salt Bae was spotted posing with the members of the triumphant side. After those pictures became viral, the Turkish chef received harsh criticism for getting his hands on the coveted trophy.

Speaking about Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s men seem to have regained momentum on the back of their warm-weather training. Following the victory over Crystal Palace, the Gunners are now third in the Premier League standings with 43 points from 21 matches.