The Red Devils legend has responded to doubts over how CR7 will fit in under Erik ten Hag next season.
Rio Ferdinand has branded questions over whether incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will want Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘stupid’.
Despite Manchester United’s dismal campaign, Ronaldo has shined as a standout performer. The Portugal captain has scored 24 goals in all competitions, is the Premier League’s third-highest scorer, and has won the club’s Player of the Month award four times.
He has also supplied nine goals in his last six Premier League appearances, including two hat-tricks.
‘To even answer that question is stupid’
But while Ronaldo excels, some have still pondered whether the 37-year-old will fit into Ten Hag’s plans when the Dutchman takes over in the summer – much to Ferdinand’s dismay.
“I think from a journalist’s point of view to even answer that question is stupid,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five podcast.
“You’ve not been looking at what’s going on during the season, you’ve obviously got the curtains in front of your eyeballs when you’re watching Manchester United because if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t play, Man United are around 15th-16th in the league probably, maybe lower.
“It’s not a question of ‘do you think the manager will keep him’, it’s ‘how do you think you’ll deploy him’, it’s ‘how will he integrate into the team’, and ‘how he will use him’. That’s the question, not ‘will he stay or will he go’, not a chance.
“When you’ve got a world-class operator on and off the pitch, you utilize that to the best of your abilities. When you’ve got a new manager coming in, that’s a dream scenario [to have] someone like him here, to be the example for the others.
“I’ll take that all day long. I’ll be absolutely shocked to the hilt if Ten Hag comes in and says he can’t work with Cristiano Ronaldo.”
After scoring in Monday’s 3-0 win over Brentford, Ronaldo aims to return to action for Man United this Saturday away to Brighton.
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