Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand thinks Erik ten Hag could’ve “prevented” Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest indiscipline with a simple chat.
The Portugal international has only made two Premier League starts this season under Erik ten Hag with the Dutchman giving him more game time in Europe.
But Ronaldo’s emotions came to the surface last week as he refused to come off the bench in United’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham before leaving the stadium early.
The Man Utd striker was fined and made to train by himself as a punishment with Ten Hag also choosing to leave him out of his squad for the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Saturday.
But Ferdinand thinks Sir Alex Ferguson would’ve handled the situation differently and the former Man Utd defender reckons Ten Hag could’ve “prevented” the incident.
Ferdinand said on his Vibe with FIVE YouTube channel: “I’m not sitting here saying he [Ronaldo] was right to do that. His actions are wrong but if you look at the bigger picture – this could be prevented. As a manager, that’s your duty – you’ve got to look at the bigger picture.
“Before every game, Sir Alex Ferguson came to the table and explained to you what was going on. He’d go: ‘listen, you’re not going to play the next two games but there’s a third game up the road that’s made for you and you’re going to play’.
“So you don’t get them emotional reactions next week when you’re not playing. Just looking at the bigger picture down the line, so there’s no surprises. When you get a bad surprise, the emotion takes over and you get these types of reactions.”
Ferdinand added: “Erik ten Hag’s reaction is the way that you’d want to see it as a fan. My pushback on that is that, I don’t think he should’ve allowed it to get to that point.
“You have to have the conversation and talk to Ronaldo – who, all his career, has mapped out season after season. Looking at the bigger picture, so he can prepare himself. At 37-years-old, he probably needs that more now than ever in his career.”
Reports now claim that Ronaldo will be in the squad to face Sheriff in the Europa League on Thursday after Ten Hag allowed him to take part in Tuesday’s training session.
Ronaldo was also joined in the Man Utd training session at Carrington by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Donny van de Beek, who have all recovered from injury.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo: A stunning U-turn and damning Man Utd statistics may prompt Ten Hag ‘regret’
