Rio Ferdinand lauds England ace Ella Toone as she overcomes 'personal tragedy' to shine

Ella Toone prepares for the Manchester Derby as her Manchester United side take on Manchester City in the Women's Super League tomorrow - with just one point separating the two teams in the division

Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on Manchester United star Ella Toone as the Red Devils prepare for their Manchester Derby.

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. He also credited Toone for overcoming "personal tragedy" this season to continue to perform well for both United and England, the country for whom the midfielder has made 53 appearances since 2021.

Her dad died in September last year just days before his 60th birthday, a tragedy which left Toone, 25, heartbroken. Her teammates offered immense support and, those that knew Nick, paid emotional tributes to the man.

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! How she’s dealt with the personal tragedy in her family is inspiring in itself let alone what she has achieved as a football player. Good luck for the weekend, let’s make sure Manchester is Red! Interview dropping 28.01… Stay tuned."

The post has been liked more than 50,000 times on the social media app with many users cheering on Toone ahead of the Manchester Derby. United go into it off the back of three wins; two in the league and one in the cup. 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.