Louis Saha believes Steven Gerrard has faced similar disrespect to Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United forward Louis Saha believes that Steven Gerrard has faced a similar disrespect to that of Cristiano Ronaldo following his sacking from Aston Villa.

Gerrard recently parted ways with the Midlands club following a spell of bad results which saw them win one in nine games in the league.

Whereas Ronaldo made headlines following his refusal to come on late against Tottenham during their 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Both faced a lot of criticism across social media and in the media with Saha believing that both have faced a similar level of disrespect.

Saha told The Games Cabin that Ronaldo and Gerrard should have been respected more because of their legacies in English football.

"What he’s done over the years and for the club, I do believe at times, he has been disrespected.

“You can understand why he may have wanted a change when you see players like Lionel Messi scoring goals for fun in the Champions League.

“We are in an era when you see players with a 15-year legacy not getting the support or respect they deserve, with Steven Gerrard’s sacking at Aston Villa being another example of that. It’s a very brutal industry. Cristiano has had two or three games without playing well, and he hasn’t been helped."

He also said that the situation is 'brutal' for Ronaldo and that he is 'not a normal player' following his spectacular career to date that includes five Ballon d'Or triumphs.

This was a sentiment shared by another former teammate in Rio Ferdinand, who claimed that United should treat him differently as Ronaldo is 'special'.

Cristiano Ronaldo will return to United's squad for Thursday's match against Sheriff Tiraspol (Image: Alamy)

Ronaldo has seemingly patched up his fractured relationship with manager Erik ten Hag as he started and scored during the 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League.

The Portuguese star may still leave the club in the near future, with the January window an opportunity for both the player and club to address the current situation.

Whereas for Gerrard, it remains to be seen where and when he will return to management following back-to-back spells with Rangers and Villa.