Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand told AFP on Wednesday that players who force their clubs to let them go should not be vilified, pointing out that “nice guys don’t win,” in the context of Swedish striker Alexander Isak’s transfer to Liverpool.

Isak became the number one enemy for Newcastle United fans after making it clear he no longer wanted to play for the club in his attempt to facilitate a move to Liverpool, succeeding in a British record deal worth £125 million ($167 million) to the English league champions on Monday.

Meanwhile, the transfer of England defender Marc Guéhi failed after Crystal Palace refused to sell him at the last moment.

Unlike Isak’s bitter case, Guéhi received praise for continuing to defend Crystal Palace’s colors despite Liverpool’s offer.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Football Summit in Hong Kong, Ferdinand said: “Nice guys don’t win. Clubs get away with it in these cases. How many players over the years have been denied transfers?”

He added: “But players get criticized when they say: It’s a great offer, it’s a huge amount, why won’t you let me leave? I want to go to a club that wins trophies.”

Ferdinand, who moved from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002 for a then British record fee, continued: “Marc Guéhi couldn’t leave, and everyone says: great, great. But what if Liverpool doesn’t buy him anymore? Or he gets injured, doesn’t reach that stage, and doesn’t get a chance to win trophies?”

He went on: “People wonder why players sometimes act rudely and say out loud: No, I need to leave, and therefore players should not be vilified.”

Ferdinand, who won the English Premier League six times and the Champions League once and played 81 international matches, expressed concern about the center-back position in the England team, saying: “I’m not saying the quality is very bad, but there aren’t enough to fill that position. There’s Guéhi and John Stones, and then honestly no one else.”

England has not shown attractive performances since German Thomas Tuchel took over, but Ferdinand considered that the only important thing is what will happen at the World Cup scheduled in the United States, Mexico, and Canada next summer: “It’s a work in progress, and I don’t think we should expect miracles immediately. We don’t want miracles now, we want miracles in the summer.”

He added: “Even if there is a period of stumbling now and things aren’t going well, it’s not a period of worry.”

He concluded: “This is an adaptation period between the coach and the players. (Tuchel) needs some time with the players to get to know each other and gel well.”