Man Utd legend Ferdinand sensationally says flop players can’t stand playing alongside ‘best of all time’ Cristiano Ronaldo

RIO FERDINAND has claimed some Manchester United players couldn’t take the pressure of playing alongside superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, 37, started his first game of the season with a 4-0 defeat by Brentford, with the Bees scoring every goal in the first 35 minutes.

2

2

And former United defender Ferdinand believes Ronaldo’s aura is a drag on some of his team-mates.

Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast, “I think maybe Cristiano’s stature, he’s not a speaker and someone who sits around a table and talks to people, but he’s more, ‘You’re going to watch me and you’re learning’.”

“And the aura he has and being one of the best players of all time could be a drag for some of those players and they’re not able to handle the pressure that comes from someone like him.

“I don’t know like you [pundits] Keep picking Ronaldo like he’s the problem.

“There are so many other players in this squad who are doing less and contributing less. You keep calling him [out] because he’s the big name.”

Ronaldo drew criticism at the weekend after he failed to applaud the United fans who had arrived and instead stormed down the tunnel without shaking hands with Erik ten Hag.

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 doesn’t improve, which the club have since denied.

FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS – THE BEST OFFERS FOR NEW CUSTOMERS

Ferdinand also defended Erik ten Hag after the Brentford defeat and showed he “feels sorry” for the Dutchman.

He added: “I don’t feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for Ten Hag.

“He comes under false pretenses. He comes with expected signings.

“He’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I was sold a dummy here. I didn’t know I was coming in here’.”