Man United legend Rio Ferdinand believes that attacker Bruno Fernandes struggled when Cristiano Ronaldo was in the team.

The two Portuguese stars are teammates at international level, but when they played together for United, Fernandes appeared to struggle.

Ferdinand was referencing the improvement in Fernandes' performances and output since Ronaldo left the club in the winter.

Speaking on his Vibe With Five YouTube show, Ferdinand stated: “There are some players where their game just does not connect and I think Cristiano and Bruno... Bruno was just better when he was not there or not in the team.

“I think that might be because Bruno needs to be the guy that the game goes through, and I think the problem with Cristiano Ronaldo is because of his reputation and how good he is, people feel that they need to find him.

“I have played in teams where you have got a great No.9 and your first look is the No.9. When they are that good, you do look beyond everybody else and I had like [Paul] Scholesy and [Michael] Carrick in front of me.

“Sometimes I looked past them first. But Bruno wants the first look and says, "Give me the first look, as I want to be the guy who plays the ball to define the game".

“If he wasn't getting that first look, maybe he became a bit disinterested, I don't know, and it didn't suit him. You are seeing the best of him now because the game seems to be going through him more often than not at Man United."