Rio Ferdinand calls on Manchester United to release Cristiano Ronaldo from his contract

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says the club must let Cristiano Ronaldo leave Old Trafford if he does not feature in the plans of manager Erik ten Hag.

Despite being an unused substitute in United’s 2-0 Premier League win against Tottenham, the Portuguese star still managed to take the headlines away from his victorious team-mates after walking down the tunnel before the full time whistle had been blown.

Reacting to Ronaldo being left out of ten Hag’s team once again, Ferdinand told his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, “My only thought could be is that Cristiano Ronaldo is being saved for the weekend against Chelsea. That’s the only way that I see it, logically, that he did not play.”

However, he will not feature at Stamford Bridge.

Ferdinand appreciates Ronaldo’s frustration, saying, “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 [transfer] window, he has 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. He has to let him go. It’s not fair on anybody, on the club, on Ronaldo, on Ten Hag, that the first question after every game is “Why didn’t Ronaldo start?””, Ferdinand said.

The five time Ballon d’Or winner has started just twice in United’s Premier League campaign to date, scoring once in the top flight.

“You sit here and think why did Man United not just let him go if Ten Hag knew he didn’t want Ronaldo in his plans. That’s the baffling thing for me,” his former team-mate continued.

“You think what he’s done in his career – at his level – surely the manager would have known before the season started if he was going to play Ronaldo or not, if he wanted him in his team, if he was someone to build around.”

Ferdinand thinks it is vital the United manager works out how he is going to manage Ronaldo going forward, saying, “It’s going to be something that hampers Ten Hag going forward until the day Ronaldo leaves the club, because of how much of an icon and superstar he is.”