Aheed Abrar
Rio Ferdinand feels “both parties will be delighted” as Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester United
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand feels “both parties will be delighted” as Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club. The ex-Red Devil believes the Portugal international wanted this to happen with his Piers Morgan interview.
The 37-year-old had a conversation with the British broadcaster and criticised the club, the owners and the manager. He stated that he had no respect for Erik ten Hag.
Speaking on BBC Sport via Twitter (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo at United, was diplomatic about how the situation has unfolded. However, he thinks the Dutch manager will be happy with the outcome as well.
“I think both parties will be delighted now. He has obviously done that with the mindset that he wanted to get out of the football club and wasn’t happy. He made that very clear.
“I also think that Ten Hag has got what he wanted in this situation. Both parties are happy. Move on and it’s the next chapter for Ronaldo.”
The Portuguese icon returned to the Old Trafford side in the summer of 2021, having departed in 2009 for Real Madrid. After several successful seasons in Spain and with Juventus, the 37-year-old made his way back to Manchester.
Ronaldo’s addition to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad bred optimism in the fanbase. And the Portuguese did not fail to deliver as he ended the 2021/22 campaign with 24 goals, the most for us in all competitions.
Unfortunately, overall, the team looked lacklustre last season. We failed to challenge for titles and finished sixth in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League football.
With the appointment of Ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout, the 37-year-old saw his fortunes tumble. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner went from being our talisman last season to being a bit-part player under the former Ajax head coach.
Ronaldo’s form in front of goal was also not up to the mark in the current campaign. And most fans cannot say that we will miss the Portuguese star’s goal contributions considering the numbers he had for us posted this season.
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All in all, Ferdinand is right with his comments, and he put them forward in a diplomatic, non-controversial manner. The last thing this situation needed was for ex-players to add fuel to the fire. The superstar’s departure is wise for the 37-year-old and United.
