Rio Ferdinand believes that Noni Madueke should have been fined two weeks’ wages for storming down the tunnel against Arsenal.
The Chelsea winger was part of the team who played out a 1-1 draw with the Gunners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday – a result that didn’t do either side any favours as they look to kick on in the Premier League.
With Gabriel Martinelli putting Arsenal ahead after an hour, Enzo Maresca opted to change things up by replacing Madueke with Mykhailo Mudryk.
The decision did not go down well with the 22-year-old as Madueke stormed down the tunnel, unhappy at the decision.
While he did later return to the bench, he missed seeing his teammate Pedro Neto level the game.
Reacting to Madueke’s conduct, Maresca saw no issue, saying post-match: “The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy.
“Probably the only way to be happy is after the Wolves game where he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy. It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players.
“It’s a good thing because they want to be there until the end. But in that moment, we thought in different ways, probably Pedro with Timber could be a little bit more aggressive – and also with Misha. So it was a tactical decision, no more than that.”
However speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the ex-Man United and England star saw things differently.
“You think (Danny) Welbeck or Tom Cleverly or Nani are going to storm off the pitch and throw their dummy out?
“It’s disrespectful to your teammates as well.
“It’s a young team. Who are the experienced players who are going to go in there and say, ‘Woah, we don’t accept that here’.
Noni Madueke’s season in numbers
Noni Madueke’s season in numbers
Appearances: 13
Goals: 5
Assists: 0
Yellow cards: 2
Minutes played: 890
“And I understand his thinking but at the same time, I don’t understand why you are doing that.”
Owen Hargreaves responded: “We would have never done it because Sir Alex (Ferguson) would have knocked your arse out.”
“That’s where the manager comes in,” Ferdinand added.
“I think the manager protecting him is mad.
“And that’s why I couldn’t be in there [as a manager] because I couldn’t come out and play the game where you say, ‘Yeah he was in the wrong but [he’s a good kid]’.
“Fined, that’s a two-week fine.”
Madueke will now link up with the England squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures with Greece and Ireland with both matches live on talkSPORT.