Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes delivered a withering assessment of Manchester United’s display after they limply succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.

The Italian champions made it three wins from three in Group H as Cristiano Ronaldo returned to haunt his former employers, providing the cross that led to Paulo Dybala scoring the only goal of the game in the 18th minute.

United, though, were outclassed for large spells, and two of their former players admitted they were worried by the gulf in class between the sides.

Ex-England and United defender Ferdinand said in his role as a pundit on BT Sport: “If you were having to describe this game in a short and sharp way, you’d say: men against boys.

“I thought Juventus were far superior throughout in every department of the game.

“From their shape, the way they applied themselves, the intensity, there was a huge difference between the two sides in terms of quality on the ball, the calmness in possession, the game management and they were well deserved winners.”

Scholes echoed his old team-mate’s assessment and lamented that there is an air of acceptance about their predicament.

The former midfielder said: “They were a class above technically and tactically. They were just a step above from Man United.

“The sad thing is it feels like there’s a bit of an acceptance to it, not just from United and the players but the fans also.”

Scholes, who made 718 appearances during his time at United, has been a notable critic of manager Jose Mourinho and aimed another dig at the Portuguese.

Scholes added: “There doesn’t seem to be any improvement in performance into his third year now.

“You see Juventus who look like they can go on to win the Champions League and United, they’re going to have to improve massively to get anywhere near them.”