sport news Rio Ferdinand suggests Cristiano Ronaldo's presence is too much for his Man ... trends now
Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's team-mates are unable to handle the pressure that he has brought to the club since he returned to Manchester United.
Ronaldo moved back to Old Trafford at the start of last season after 12 years away from the club, but his return has not pushed the Red Devils any nearer to winning the Premier League.
United sunk to a new low on Saturday when they were beaten 4-0 by Brentford, and Ferdinand believes the squad are struggling to cope with the added scrutiny now that Ronaldo is back in the ranks.
Cristiano Ronaldo has told Man United he wants to leave, and his attitude has been questioned
Rio Ferdinand does not think Ronaldo's mood is the biggest problem at United right now
'I think maybe Cristiano’s stature, he’s not a talker and someone who’s going to sit down at a table and talk to people, but he’s more: “you’re going to watch me and you’re going to learn," Ferdinand told the "VIBE with FIVE podcast.
'And the aura that he has and being one of the best players ever, I think, could be a burden on some of these players and they’re not able to handle that pressure that’s coming from someone like him.'
Ronaldo made his first start of the season at Brentford after telling United that he wants to leave the club last month.
His future remains uncertain, and it has been reported that the club are concerned that his mood is affecting dressing room morale, with the 37-year-old understood to be sitting away from his team-mates during meal times.
It has been suggested that Ronaldo is providing new manager Erik ten Hag with another headache that he doesn't need after a disastrous start to his tenure in the dugout.
However, Ferdinand has defended Ronaldo, insisting that there are bigger issues for the club to sort out than their star striker's
