Rio Ferdinand was left unimpressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics on the touchline during Manchester United’s shock loss to Young Boys.
Manchester United may not have started their Champions League campaign on the best of note after a shock loss to Young Boys. However, after their defeat, they are already attracting controversy, with Cristiano Ronaldo right at the centre of it.
Ronaldo gave Manchester United the lead, only for a straight red card to Aaron-Wan Bissaka to force Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to change his plans for the game. Young Boys pressured the visitors in the second half and scored two goals to collect all three points, with the winner coming in the 95th minute due to a mistake from Jesse Lingard.
However, Solskjaer hooked Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes in the second half to provide more defensive cover at the back to deal with the pressure. Instead of sitting alongside other players on the bench, Ronaldo decided to stand alongside Solskjaer and bark instructions on the field.
The scenes were reminiscent of the Euro 2016 Final, where he was seen instructing his Portuguese teammates alongside manager Fernando Santos. However, his antics against Young Boys haven’t gone too well with club legend Rio Ferdinand, who slammed Ronaldo for the behaviour.
? Rio Ferdinand on Ronaldo standing alongside Solskjær after he was substituted: "If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling him to sit. I get it [though]… he’s just a passionate guy. He wants to win, he’s desperate to win, and he can’t hold it in." [BT Sport] pic.twitter.com/4Vsyae1uQM
— United Section (@TheUtdSection) September 15, 2021
Reacting to those scenes after the game on BT Sport, Ferdinand questioned the actions of Ronaldo. The Metro ran quotes from the pundit and former defender as he had quite a few words to say on the matter.
Ferdinand said, “If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling him to sit down.”
However, the pundit softened his stance on the issue, changing his tone towards a more positive approach.
He continued, “I get it. You know, with Cristiano, people go, ‘Oh, it’s bravado, it’s for the fans’. He’s just a passionate guy. He wants to win, he’s desperate to win, and he can’t hold it in. If that means he has to go up there and stand next to the manager, shouting instructions, etcetera, so be it. When it’s someone of his standing and stature in the game, how can you argue with it?”
Manchester United next take on West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend and will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways.
Rio Ferdinand was left unimpressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics on the touchline during Manchester United’s shock loss to Young Boys.
Manchester United may not have started their Champions League campaign on the best of note after a shock loss to Young Boys. However, after their defeat, they are already attracting controversy, with Cristiano Ronaldo right at the centre of it.
Ronaldo gave Manchester United the lead, only for a straight red card to Aaron-Wan Bissaka to force Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to change his plans for the game. Young Boys pressured the visitors in the second half and scored two goals to collect all three points, with the winner coming in the 95th minute due to a mistake from Jesse Lingard.
However, Solskjaer hooked Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes in the second half to provide more defensive cover at the back to deal with the pressure. Instead of sitting alongside other players on the bench, Ronaldo decided to stand alongside Solskjaer and bark instructions on the field.
The scenes were reminiscent of the Euro 2016 Final, where he was seen instructing his Portuguese teammates alongside manager Fernando Santos. However, his antics against Young Boys haven’t gone too well with club legend Rio Ferdinand, who slammed Ronaldo for the behaviour.
? Rio Ferdinand on Ronaldo standing alongside Solskjær after he was substituted: "If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling him to sit. I get it [though]… he’s just a passionate guy. He wants to win, he’s desperate to win, and he can’t hold it in." [BT Sport] pic.twitter.com/4Vsyae1uQM
— United Section (@TheUtdSection) September 15, 2021
Reacting to those scenes after the game on BT Sport, Ferdinand questioned the actions of Ronaldo. The Metro ran quotes from the pundit and former defender as he had quite a few words to say on the matter.
Ferdinand said, “If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling him to sit down.”
However, the pundit softened his stance on the issue, changing his tone towards a more positive approach.
He continued, “I get it. You know, with Cristiano, people go, ‘Oh, it’s bravado, it’s for the fans’. He’s just a passionate guy. He wants to win, he’s desperate to win, and he can’t hold it in. If that means he has to go up there and stand next to the manager, shouting instructions, etcetera, so be it. When it’s someone of his standing and stature in the game, how can you argue with it?”
Manchester United next take on West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend and will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways.