RIO FERDINAND has claimed some Manchester United players cannot deal with the pressure of playing alongside superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, 37, started his first match of the season in the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, with the Bees scoring all their goals in the opening 35 minutes.
And former United defender Ferdinand believes Ronaldo’s aura is a burden for some of his team-mates.
Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast: “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’.
“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.
“I don’t know how you [pundits] keep picking Ronaldo out like he’s the problem.
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“There are so many other players in this squad that are doing less and contributing less. You keep calling him [out] because he’s the big name.”
Ronaldo attracted criticism at the weekend after he failed to applaud the travelling United fans and instead stormed down the tunnel without shaking Erik ten Hag’s hand.
CR7 also berated David De Gea for his mistakes during the Bees game and showed visible signs of frustration.
That sparked speculation United were considering terminating Ronaldo’s contract if his attitude does not improve, which the club has since denied.
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Ferdinand also defended Erik ten Hag after the Brentford defeat and revealed he “feels sorry” for the Dutchman.
He added: “I don’t feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for Ten Hag.
“He’s coming under false pretences. He’s coming expected new signings.
“He’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve been sold a dummy here. I didn’t know I was coming into this’.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
