Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has insisted that he does not condone Cristiano Ronaldo's antics during the win over Tottenham, but admitted that he can understand why the player feels disrespected.
Ronaldo refused to come on against Antonio Conte's side on Wednesday night, with the Portuguese international trudging down the Old Trafford tunnel before the full-time whistle. The Reds secured a 2-0 victory over Spurs and closed the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea, but the incident towards the end of the match stole the headlines.
United boss Erik ten Hag reacted by dropping Ronaldo from his matchday squad for the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. The former Real Madrid man was also made to train alone at Carrington.
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The 37-year-old has been heavily criticised for his antics in midweek, with a number of pundits and former players - several of whom he played alongside - slamming the veteran frontman.
Ferdinand, speaking on BT Sport, suggested that he would've been 'in a queue' to speak to the striker had the incident occurred while the pair were playing together at Old Trafford.
"I wouldn’t have been happy. In Ronaldo's statement he mentioned how he would’ve handled things differently. Emotions can sometimes take it out of your control as you're human," said Ferdinand.
"I’d have been in the queue to speak to him asking why he did it and ask the question. There’s two ways to look at it and I don’t condone it for one minute but there’s always another side to the story.
"I don’t think the communication has been as good as he wanted it, people say ‘you’re a player in the team’ but when you’re dealing with a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, like it or not, he’s Cristiano Ronaldo he’s one of the greatest footballers ever along with Messi.
"Sometimes they’re afforded a way of treatment a little bit different to everyone else, it was the same under Fergie, we had that communication about how the minutes are going to look and I think for the first time in his life that’s not upheld from the manager or the club.
"He’s in a position where he doesn’t know where he’s at. I’m not saying he was right in that decision and his decision says that as well but at the same time, you can say for every other player that you’re one of the team but there are sometimes special players that things work differently for.
"Not only is he an iconic player, I think it’s important for the team to see he’s communicating and that he’s fresh in his mind and ready to play. He’s 37 years old, he probably needs that more than ever so he can perform to the best of his ability."
Ferdinand also suggested that 'prevention was key' in Ronaldo's situation, questioning Ten Hag's decision to opt against bringing him on in the derby defeat to Manchester City, but wanting to bring him on in the final few moments against Spurs.
He said: "He [Ronaldo] would say 'I’d handle it differently. I’m preparing myself to get right, throwing me five minutes and two minutes there', it was disrespectful against Manchester City to bring me on for a few minutes' so why’s it not disrespectful?
"What signal is that sending? So prevention in all these situations is a key case, foresee this happening before it happens. He’s a player that expects to play and expects to be relied upon.
"No one is saying he’s right but the way it’s panned out, you can see how a player - not just Cristiano - can react in this situation."
The former Reds centre-back went on to insist that he would always support Ronaldo, but that he did not condone what the 37-year-old did during the victory over Conte's side.
"He’s my mate and of course, you want to see your mate do well but at the same time, I wouldn’t condone it in the changing room if I was there, I’d be sitting there saying ‘what are you doing?’ you’d have that conversation, argument whatever," Ferdinand continued.
"There’s two sides to every story and I’d reiterate it again, if communication's not there, problems arise and I think that’s been the case."
The Reds will be without Ronaldo for the clash against Chelsea on Saturday evening. The frontman has registered just two goals in 12 appearances in all competitions this term.
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