Rio Ferdinand jokingly stormed off camera in disgust of a Manchester United question during TNT Sports' build-up ahead of Chelsea vs Southampton on Tuesday night. The Red Devils icon was on punditry duty pitchside at Stamford Bridge and left his colleagues in pieces with his reaction to a painful dig at his former club.

United haven't got close to winning the Premier League since their last title in 2013, the final act of Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary reign as manager.

This season has witnessed the club's 12-year decline reach a painful nadir, sitting 15th after 26 games with just 30 points and a -7 goal difference.

Head coach Ruben Amorim has emphasised the current crisis by admitting his side are in a scrap to avoid relegation and labelling them one of the worst in United's history.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS' project to restore the club to the summit of English and European football will be a long-term venture if their first year at the helm is anything to go by.

And ahead of Chelsea's clash with Southampton, while the TNT Sports panel answered questions on social media, United were the subject of further mockery.

At the end of the segment, host Linsey Hipgrave mentioned they had one more post on X to cover. User @Taity813112 wrote: "Manchester United won't win a title for at least 30 years."

It was too much for Ferdinand, who immediately walked off camera, leaving Hipgrave, Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Ally McCoist in hysterics.

The ex-England international berated: "That's out of order! You're out of order! We're not even playing tonight. We're not even playing tonight!"

Cole pointed fun at Ferdinand for "catching strays" while McCoist reminded him that his old club are "always a story."

Ferdinand continued to jest, adding: "It's a load of rubbish, that. Who sent it in? Who sent it in?"

The punditry team then got down to business and discussed the prospect of United enduring three decades of hurt.

Cole said: "Thirty years... you would say no chance, but the way things are going up there, like, I certainly can't see it in 10 years. I'd be comfortable saying they aren't going to win the title for 10 years."

McCoist then weighed in with: "When was the last time they won it? If it's 13 years and [Joe] is saying 10, that's 23..."

That didn't sit with Ferdinand, who aimed fire at the laughing Scotsman by stating: "Alright, Al... he's come alive to do the maths!"

Crouch believes 30 years is excessive but can't see Amorim turning things around at Old Trafford anytime soon.

"Listen, I don't think you could go longer than 10 years. I think five years, I can't see them winning anything in five years, but if you go any more than that," the ex-Liverpool striker added.

After Ferdinand prompted the team to move on the coverage, McCoist joked that he hadn't seen the 46-year-old so riled since he watched United collapse to a last-gasp 4-3 defeat at Chelsea last April.