Rio Ferdinand wants Chelsea star fined two weeks' wages after 'disrespectful' actions

Rio Ferdinand wants Chelsea star Noni Madueke fined two weeks’ wages for storming down the tunnel after being substituted during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues winger was angered by his withdrawal in the 68th minute and headed straight for the dressing room.

Madueke soon emerged to sit on the substitutes’ bench to watch on as Chelsea salvaged a draw at Stamford Bridge. Pedro Neto cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli’s goal.

Ferdinand wants Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca to make an example of Madueke. He pointed out that some of the fringe Manchester United stars he played with during his career would never have behaved in such a way.

“You think (Danny) Welbeck or Tom Cleverley or Nani are going to storm off the pitch and throw their dummy out?” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents. “It’s disrespectful to your team-mates 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’? And I understand his thinking but at the same time, I don’t understand why you are doing that.”

Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves added: “We would have never done it because Sir Alex (Ferguson) would have knocked your arse out.”

Ferdinand continued: “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 [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.”

Maresca was vindicated in taking off Madueke. Following the change, which saw the England forward replaced by Mykhaylo Mudryk, Neto switched from the left to the right.

It was from that position that the Portuguese star cut inside and found space just outside the box. He unleashed a powerful drive to ensure Chelsea remain unbeaten at home in the Premier League since the opening day.

Maresca refused to condemn Madueke’s actions. “When you change a player, they are never happy,” the Italian said. “Probably the only way to be happy is like the Wolves game, when 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 saw it in a different way. We thought Pedro, against [Jurrien] Timber, could be a bit more aggressive, and with Micha (Mudryk) also. It was a tactical decision, no more than that.”