Rio Ferdinand handed Cristiano Ronaldo a hopeful straw to clutch at in the aftermath of his Manchester United strop - only to see it backfire.
The Portuguese forward has caused another stir at Old Trafford after storming down the tunnel before the final whistle against Tottenham in midweek, and has now been dropped for Saturday's trip to Chelsea and made to train alone. Ronaldo has since released a statement following news of his axe from the fixture at Stamford Bridge, accepting he was in the wrong for his behaviour.
But boss Erik ten Hag has taken no prisoners with his ruthless actions, destroying Ferdinand's theory in the process that he was preserving Ronaldo for the upcoming clash with Graham Potter's side. Ferdinand had said on his Vibe with Five podcast this week: "My only thought could be that Cristiano Ronaldo is being saved for the weekend against Chelsea."
