Ferdinand tells Chelsea to fine Madueke two weeks' wages for 'disrespectful' act

RIO FERDINAND has told Chelsea to fine Noni Madueke two weeks’ wages for his “disrespectful” act against Arsenal.

The winger started his side’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, having cemented his status as a first-teamer under new boss Enzo Maresca.

2

2

But Madueke struggled to make an impact down Chelsea’s right-hand side.

Arsenal left-back Jurrien Timber made sure the England international was unable to dictate play when cutting inside.

And Maresca decided enough was enough when he hauled Madueke off after the hour mark for Mykhailo Mudryk.

However, Chelsea’s talented forward was not happy with the decision.

And instead of taking his place on the bench, Madueke stormed off down the tunnel in anger.

Blues boss Maresca attempted to play down the incident by claiming it was a natural reaction.

But former Manchester United star Ferdinand reckons Madueke’s actions were a sign of disrespect.

And he feels the winger should be docked a fortnight’s wages to teach him a lesson.

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the ex-England defender said: “You think Danny Welbeck or Tom Cleverley or Nani are going to storm off the pitch and throw their dummy out?

“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’.

“And I understand his thinking but at the same time, I don’t understand why you are doing that.

“That’s where the manager comes in, I think the manager protecting him is mad.

“And that’s why I couldn’t be in there because I couldn’t come out and play the game where you say, ‘Yeah he was in the wrong but…’

“Fined, that’s a two-week fine.”

Maresca certainly didn’t seem to have a problem with Madueke’s reaction, explaining after the Arsenal 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.”