Rio Ferdinand has reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo’s omission from the Premier League Player of the Year shortlist, saying it’s ‘laughable’ while insisting he will ‘100 per cent’ stay at Manchester United next season.
Ronaldo’s return to the club from Juventus hasn’t gone as planned after enduring a frustrating first season at United, who have missed out on Champions League qualification. Though, he has 18 Premier League goals to his name.
Despite his individual performance, there was no room for the Portuguese star on this season’s Premier League Player of the Year shortlist, which consists of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrod Bowen, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min, James Ward-Prowse, and Bukayo Saka.
Now, Ferdinand has questioned how Saka, who has registered six goals and 11 assists for Arsenal, has earned a nomination ahead of his old team-mate.
‘Saka’s in the in the Player of the Year nominees?’ the former United defender asked on the Vibe with Five podcast. ‘I wouldn’t have had Saka in there yet, as well as he’s done.
‘I wouldn’t have had him over Ronaldo, no, not this season. Ronaldo should be in ahead of three of four of those guys in there.
‘He probably doesn’t win it but in terms of nominees, it’s laughable. He’ll take it as a disrespect but these are the things that fuel him, he’ll be thinking, “how dare you?”.
‘If it’s based on stats, he’s like, “I’ve banged in more goals than most of them on that list other than Salah, so what are you talking about?”‘
