"He is probably fighting for fitness" - Rio Ferdinand defends Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo once again after poor performance against Aston Villa 

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has defended Cristiano Ronaldo despite his poor performance against Aston Villa.

The Portuguese superstar led Manchester United as they lost 3-1 against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo has endured a very difficult season so far, having scored just one Premier League goal in 10 games.

Rio Ferdinand has defended his former Manchester United teammate as he has backed the attacker to rediscover his best form.

The ex-England defender has also claimed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is still struggling for fitness. Speaking on VIBE with FIVE, he said:

"No one covered themselves in glory at the weekend [against Aston Villa]. Time will tell this season, when you look at the end of the season in terms of goals and what he has done for the team."

He continued:

"There's peaks and troughs through a season in terms of form. Cristiano Ronaldo right now isn't hitting the net like you are accustom to seeing him."

"He is probably fighting for fitness right now as well, if he goes to a World Cup and plays he might come back in better condition than when he left. You don't know. How many games do you think it takes you to get fit?"

Ferdinand has highlighted that missing the pre-season has been a major reason behind Ronaldo's struggles.

"I can't remember what year it was [I missed pre-season] but more of the times around World Cup you come back later for pre-seasons and it takes you that bit longer. Regardless of that, I never felt fit until about six games into the season. I was always going into games pre-season always worrying about my fitness and being fit enough to get through 90 minutes."

He added:

"Being fit enough to chase a striker 40/50 yards into the channel and now blowing and thinking 'Jesus if he plays it in there again I don't know if I have the energy or sharpness to get there.'"

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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has hailed Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo after Barcelona were drawn against Manchester United in the Europa League play-offs.

Xavi Hernandez has highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo as a player who can still make a difference at the highest level.

He said. as quoted by Fabrizio Romano:

“He seems to me to be a great player, he has marked an era in world football and can still make the difference.”

The Blaugrana finished third in their Champions League group while Manchester United finished second in their Europa League group.