Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been the subject of conversation in the past week after controversially walking down the tunnel before full-time against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, 37, refused to come on for Erik ten Hag's side with them two goals up before proceeding to leave the stadium early. The striker was excluded from United's squad for today's Premier League fixture at Chelsea, with Erik ten Hag sticking to his guns despite Antony Martial's injury.
Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand were both quick to defend their former team-mate on Saturday. Speaking to Sky Sports, Keane suggested the outburst had been 'brewing', while Ferdinand explained his understanding behind Ronaldo's decision.
READ MORE: Roy Keane agrees with Rio Ferdinand on Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd exile amid Tottenham jibe
"This game is full of bluffers, he’s not one of them, he loves the club, he needs to play, he wants to play, people saying he’s not the player he was 10 years ago, of course not but he was still leading goalscorer last season," Keane added. "He went to Man United to a bad Manchester United team, really bad, still leading goalscorer.
" I think they asked the manager in the press conference, did Ronaldo refuse to go on? But they should’ve asked him when were you going to put him on? Late in the game, two or three minutes to go? Not too sure, it’s a clever move. He’s got to take his medicine, will he come back to the team before the World Cup? I don’t see it."
However, the former United skipper has been criticised for his words by the Telegraph's Daniel Zeqiri. In a quoted tweet of Keane's word on Ronaldo, Zeqiri tweeted: "The man who said he'd punch a goalkeeper for letting a goal in is not fussed about a player refusing to play.
"The ex-United player pundits are embarrassing themselves on Ronaldo."
It comes following Keane's in-famous outburst about David De Gea in 2020 when the goalkeeper failed to stop a Steven Bergwijn goal against Tottenham. He said: “I am sick to death of this goalkeeper. I’d be fighting him at half-time… I would be swinging punches at that guy. It’s a standard save for an established international goalkeeper. I am flabbergasted.
“Maguire and De Gea – I wouldn’t even let them on the bus after the match. Get a taxi back to Manchester. Shocking! Maguire, I am disgusted with him and De Gea. You should hang your heads in shame.”
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