EPL: ‘Let him go’ – Rio Ferdinand tells Ten Hag to release Ronaldo

Rio Ferdinand has leapt to the defence of his former Manchester United team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo after he stormed off during their 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

Ronaldo, who started the match on the bench, left his seat and disappeared down the tunnel with two minutes of added time left.

The 37-year-old’s behaviour has led to a lot of criticisms from fans and pundits.

But Ferdinand, speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast on Wednesday night, said: “If he doesn’t see Cristiano Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, he has to release him from the contract, let him go.

“It’s not fair on anybody, on Cristiano, on Erik ten Hag, or the players, if after every game the first question is ‘why didn’t Cristiano start’ and that’s the story. Man Utd have won 2-0 today and one of the leading stories is about Ronaldo. That isn’t right.”

“You sit here and think, ‘Why did Man Utd just not let him go then?’ Especially if Ten Hag kind of knew he wasn’t going to be his main player. That’s the baffling part for me because you think what he’s done in his career at his level.”