Rio Ferdinand tells Erik ten Hag to release Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United contract after being baffled by superstar's situation

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand feels the Red Devils should relieve Cristiano Ronaldo of his contract if he does not feature in Erik ten Hag's plans.

Manchester United, who drew 0-0 against Newcastle United at the weekend, returned to winning ways on Wednesday (October 19). They beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League, thanks to goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes.

Cristiano Ronaldo remained an unused substitute in the match, but managed to grab headlines with his antics off the pitch. Disappointed with the lack of playing time, he walked down the tunnel before the full-time whistle despite the Red Devils leading 2-0.

Speaking after the game, Ferdinand suggested that Ten Hag could be saving Ronaldo for Manchester United's upcoming match against Chelsea. The Red Devils great also explained that the forward's actions are understandable. He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel:

"My only thought could be that Cristiano is being saved for the weekend against Chelsea, that's the only that I see it, logically. He didn't play today, Ronaldo would be absolutely fuming with that naturally, I wouldn't expect anything different from him."

Ferdinand went on to claim that Ten Hag should release Ronaldo from his contract if he is not going to play regularly at Old Trafford. He added:

"The big problem that Erik ten Hag has got is, coming up to this next window, he has got to think very carefully about what he does. If he doesn't see Cristiano Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, I think he has to release him from the contract."

He added:

"He has to let him go because it's not fair on anybody, on the club, on Cristiano, on Erik ten Hag or the players if after every game that Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't start, the first question is why didn't Cristiano Ronaldo start and that's the story."

The former defender pointed out how Ronaldo continues to be the center of attention even when Manchester United win convincingly. He also conceded that he has been baffled with how Ten Hag has managed the Portuguese icon. He admitted:

"Man Utd won 2-0 today and one of the leading stories will be about Ronaldo and that can't be right. You sit here thinking why didn't Man Utd just not let him go then if Erik ten Hag kind of knew he wasn't going to be part of his main plans."

He added:

"That's the baffling part for me because you think what someone has done in their career at his level, the manager would have surely known before the season started."

Ferdinand is also of the view that Ronaldo's presence at Manchester United will now start to negatively affect Ten Hag. He said:

"'Am I really going to play Ronaldo a lot?', 'Is he really what I need in my team?' 'Is he the future of what I'm building around?' It looks to me right now that he probably would have been on the side of no."

He added:

"If that's the case, he probably should have let Cristiano go because it's going to be something that hampers him, the manager, going forward until the day Cristiano leaves the football club because of how big he is, because of how much of an icon, how much of a superstar he is."

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How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Manchester United this term?

Cristiano Ronaldo was keen to secure a move away from Manchester United in the summer. However, he eventually stayed at the club, primarily due to lack of offers from Champions League clubs.

The 37-year-old has since found playing time hard to come by under Ten Hag, who took charge of the club in the summer. He has clocked just 691 minutes of action for the Red Devils so far this campaign.