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Erik ten Hag should treat Cristiano Ronaldo 'differently' because he's a 'special player', claims Rio Ferdinand.
Ronaldo has been banished from the Manchester United team after refusing to come on as a substitute in his side's win over Tottenham on Wednesday.
He stormed down the tunnel before the final whistle, with Ten Hag punishing the 37-year-old by making him train with the under-21s.
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The Dutch boss has also axed the Portuguese international from his match-day squad for today's crunch Premier League game against Chelsea.
But Ferdinand believes Ronaldo should be treated 'differently' due to his status.
Speaking on BT Sport, he sympathised with his former teammate, saying: "I wouldn't have been happy as a player. Ronaldo mentioned he would have handled things differently.
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"Any emotions attached to it, it takes control. I probably would have been in the queue asking him about it.
"There's always another side to it. When you're dealing with Cristiano Ronaldo, he's Ronaldo."
Ferdinand added: "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.
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"It's important for the team to see that he is communicated with. He's 37. He probably needs that more than ever."
Ronaldo's outburst against Spurs angered Man United great Peter Schmeichel, who said he's 'disappointed' with the superstar forward while calling it an unwanted distraction.
Fresh reports suggest Ten Hag wants Ronaldo to apologise to the whole team - not just to him and his backroom staff.
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Otherwise, he's at risk of staying out in the cold, having already played a bit-part role this season.
Will Ronaldo apologise and return to the first-team? Watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/BT Sport/Amazon PrimeTopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Football