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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has invited Liverpool great Jamie Carragher onto his podcast after the latter claimed he would be a part of the 1% siding with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The football world has been rocked by Cristiano Ronaldo's interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan in which he gave a scathing assessment of Manchester United.
The veteran Portuguese forward called the club out for what he perceived as a betrayal.
He took aim at manager Erik ten Hag, former interim coach Ralf Rangnick and all-time goalscorer Wayne Rooney while claiming that the club had stagnated since he departed in 2009.
Carragher has regularly backed the Red Devils in their treatment of the former Real Madrid attacker and tweeted:
"Ronaldo under ETH: Announced he wanted to leave, refused to come on as a substitute, walked off the bench & left before the game had finished. 99% of United fans will be on the side of ETH, which shows how badly Ronaldo has handled this."
Carragher then claimed that United icons Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Roy Keane would side with Ronaldo:
He tweeted:
"The 1% will be Rio, Roy & Patrice…."
Ferdinand caught wind of Carragher's comments and invited him onto his podcast to discuss his claims:
"Morning Carra… u wanna come on Vibe With Five to discuss today?"
Cristiano Ronaldo's sophomore campaign at Old Trafford has been wrapped up in controversy.
The striker has been handed a more withdrawn role under Ten Hag in which he has made 16 appearances across competitions - 10 in the starting lineup.
His frustrations boiled over during Manchester United's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 19 October.
The Portuguese stormed down the tunnel in the 89th minute after refusing to come on as a substitute.
Ferdinand has regularly defended Ronaldo, as have Evra and Keane, as they believe his stature in world football should see him handed a more prominent role.
Carragher has jokingly claimed that the trio are in a WhatsApp group chat with their former teammate Ronaldo.
He responded to Ferdinand's invitation:
"100% Have you left the WhatsApp group chat yet??"
Paolo Di Canio slams Cristiano Ronaldo for using family reasons to attack Manchester United
Among Cristiano Ronaldo's claims during the controversial interview with Morgan is his suggestion that Manchester United officials doubted his reasons for missing pre-season.
The veteran striker told Morgan that United lacked empathy when his baby girl fell ill earlier this year.
He sat out the entirety of the Red Devils' tour of East Asia and Australia.
West Ham United legend Di Canio has slammed Ronaldo for using family problems in his attack on the club.
He said (via Tancredi Palmeri):
"It's very distasteful and pathetic (from Cristiano Ronaldo) to use some family problems to attack the club (Manchester United)."
