Rio Ferdinand says Ruud van Nistelrooy once reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears after failing to provide him with adequate service.
The prolific Dutchman netted 150 goals in 219 games for the Red Devils, helping the club to Premier League and FA Cup success.
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During his time at the club, Van Nistelrooy linked up with a young and raw Ronaldo and despite the Portuguese star showing early signs of promise, the striker wasn’t afraid to pull the future five-time Ballon d’Or winner in line when needed.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube show, Ferdinand shared an anecdote of an exchange between the pair, claiming goal-shy summer signing Rasmus Hojlund should adopt a similar approach.
“Ruud van Nistelrooy more or less had Cristiano Ronaldo in tears one day because he was doing too much on the ball and wasn’t crossing it,” Ferdinand said.
“He said, [to Ronaldo] ‘How can I make my runs when I don’t know when you're going to cross the ball.’
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“That's how Hojlund must feel right now with the wide players he’s playing with. So the difference is Ruud was the main guy, main No.9, main goal getter.
“So he had the gravitas to pull up young guys and say, 'put it in the box' and he said a lot more than that by the way!”
The Danish striker has had a tough start to life at Old Trafford and is without a Premier League goal in eight appearances.
The 20-year-old has seen all three of his goals to date come in the Champions League and despite taking up good positions to score, service from wide areas has been lacking.
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Ferdinand believes poor service is why the striker is struggling for goals and encouraged him to become more vocal with his teammates to gain a stronger chemistry.
“Hojlund’s feet aren’t under the table yet,” he said.
"But he needs to [communicate with teammates] because there’s too many times I’ve seen him make good runs and the ball isn’t coming. That’s why he’s frustrated coming off.”
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