Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the Cristiano Ronaldo situation after the forward was shown leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle in Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur last night.
The 37-year-old did not feature for United throughout the match after Erik ten Hag opted to utilise the younger attacking options at his disposal. As United entered the final stages of a crucial win, Ronaldo departed the pitch in the 89th minute via the Stretford End tunnel. It was later reported he left the stadium entirely, without celebrating the win with the team.
Ronaldo made only his second start of the season against Newcastle United last week as Anthony Martial was ruled out with injury and Marcus Rashford only managed a short cameo due to illness. The game ended a draw with United failing to find the back of the net.
He was then named on the bench last night before kick-off but was an unused substitute. The Red Devils displayed possibly their best performance under Ten Hag so far and unfortunately for Ronaldo, it’s hard to see where he would have complimented the squad last night. Despite being one of the most prolific goal-scorers in world football, his presence was not overly missed on the pitch.
Rio Ferdinand weighs in on Ronaldo drama
When analysing the game on his FIVE podcast, he said: “My only thought could be that Ronaldo is being saved for the weekend against Chelsea. That’s the only way I see it, logically, that he did not play [last night]. I think Ronaldo will be absolutely fuming with that, naturally.
“I wouldn’t expect anything different from him. I think the big problem Erik ten Hag has got is that, coming up to this next window, he has got to think very carefully about what he does.
“If he doesn’t see Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, I think he has to release him from his contract.”
