Rio Ferdinand comes up with interesting reason why Ten Hag should have treated Cristiano differently

• Rio Ferdinand is adamant Cristiano Ronaldo should have been handled differently by Erik Ten Hag
• The former Manchester United defender passionately defender his ex teammate as he continues to serve an exile from the first team
• Ronaldo walked off before full time during the game against Tottenham, with Ten Hag confirming later that he refused to come on as a substitute late on

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has boldly declared Cristiano Ronaldo should have been treated differently because “he is a special player”.

Ronaldo was conspicuously absent from United’s entertaining 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday, October 22 as he served a punishment for walking off early in the team’s previous game.

The Portuguese superstar has since felt the repercussions of his actions, but one person that still backs him up is Ferdinand.

Ferdinand, who enjoyed six successful years with Ronaldo at Manchester United, believes the 37-year old should be treated differently because of his status.

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He spoke on BT Sport on Saturday where he sympathized with his former teammate, saying:

"I wouldn't have been happy as a player. Ronaldo mentioned he would have handled things differently.”

"The way of treating him is different to everybody else. Communication. That's probably the first time in his life where that's not upheld by the manager.

"I'm not saying he was right but there are special players sometimes in a squad that things work differently for.

"It's important for the team to see that he is communicated with. He's 37. He probably needs that more than ever."

Roy Keane, another one of Cristiano’s former teammates, also passionately backed the player on Saturday, saying United were missing out on his services.

The Red Devils played out a 1-1 draw against the Blues in the clash at Stamford Bridge, with both goals coming in the dying stages of the game.

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Chelsea were leading courtesy of a Jorginho penalty in the 87th minute, but were pegged back with practically the last play of the game as Casemiro’s header just crept past the goal line.

Ten Hag admits he needs Ronaldo

Sports Brief also reported of Ten Hag’s stance since banishing Ronaldo.

When asked if United missed Ronaldo during the Chelsea clash, Ten Hag admitted that his side's performance proved that the veteran striker still has a role to play in the team.

While it remains unclear how long Ronaldo will be out of the team, it is almost evident that Ten Hag could be forced to reintegrate him back into the fold.