Ferdinand: 'Ronaldo can play better after the World Cup'

"Ronaldo may be fighting to find his best fitness," Ferdinand told Vibe. "If he goes to the World Cup, he can come back to Man Utd in a better state. We don't know how many games a player needs to be at his best."

Ronaldo has only scored three goals in 16 games for Man Utd this season. Ferdinand said that the 37-year-old striker did not score regularly as usual "because the form of a player during the season has ups and downs". He added: "Time will tell everything. We have to wait until the end of the season, based on the number of goals to evaluate what Ronaldo can do."

Not the first time Ferdinand defended his former Portuguese teammate. The former Man Utd midfielder once considered Ronaldo a "living saint", when he scored a hat-trick to help Juventus eliminate Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2019.

Ferdinand also took credit for convincing Ronaldo to return to Man Utd in the summer of 2021. When the 37-year-old superstar asked to leave in the summer of 2022, Ferdinand expressed sympathy and said that "Ronaldo doesn't even know the Europa League soundtrack". He is also concerned that Man Utd will lose goals if Ronaldo leaves.

When CR7 refused to enter the field and left early in the win against Tottenham on October 19, Ferdinand said "maybe the coaching staff did not make it clear to Ronaldo about his role in the team".

Ferdinand said when he was playing, it often took him five or six games to reach his peak. "If a player misses pre-season, they often can't perform at their best. Don't forget they don't prepare, they have to play every three days," added the former England international.

Ronaldo is likely to be selected with Portugal to attend the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Portugal is in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. They will play their first match against Ghana on November 24.