Rio Ferdinand instructs Man United star to learn from Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo Photo: Uefa handout

Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United record signing Paul Pogba to learn from Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The France international returned to club matters in August fresh from les Blues’ triumph in the World Cup during the summer.

Pogba struggled to perform in the opening weeks of the season as Manchester United suffered losses to Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the 25-year-old impressed in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

Pogba returned to Manchester United in an £89m deal from Serie A giants Juventus in the 2016 summer transfer window.

While the versatile midfielder has won the Europa League and the League Cup, Pogba has struggled to rekindle his impressive Serie A form.

Pogba was linked with a potential exit in the summer amid reported interest from FC Barcelona and Juventus.

Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand believes Pogba needs to follow the example of Ronaldo.

“Cristiano came as what we called a showpony, all the stepovers, looking good for the fans,” Ferdinand told ESPN.

“He left the best player in the world, who lived and died by the end product. Goals and assists. But that’s down to intelligence, [Ronaldo] worked it out, actually, ‘that’s good that the people love me for that, but what’s going to get me there, to the top of the mountain. I need to adjust my game.’ And he left as the best player in the world.

“So Paul Pogba can look at that as something to learn from there as well. What do I really need to do to make myself the best midfielder on this planet?”

Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window following nine seasons at The Bernabeu.

Manchester United will take on Swiss side Young Boys in their opening Champions League group stage fixture.

The Red Devils have won their last two Premier League games ahead of their clash against promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers next weekend.

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