After not being used as a substitute in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham, Cristiano Ronaldo stormed out of Old Trafford before the game was done. The 37-year-old watched from the stands as United defeated Spurs to close the gap on the top four teams in the Premier League. All UK sports news you need to read.
Cristiano Ronaldo departed Old Trafford before the end of Manchester United’s 2-0 victory against Tottenham, and Erik ten Hag says he will “deal with” him.
Unused replacement In the final moments of Wednesday’s game at Old Trafford, Ronaldo could be seen making his way up the tunnel and down the touchline.
The 37-year-old stood in the stands as Fred and Bruno Fernandes’ goals helped United defeat Spurs and pull within one point of the top four in the Premier League, but Ronaldo decided enough was enough when Ten Hag decided against using him off the bench.
When asked if he had spoken to Ronaldo before leaving the field before the game was over, United manager Ten Hag responded to Amazon Prime: “He was there, I have seen him, but I didn’t speak with him.”
Ten Hag continued: “I don’t pay attention to that; I will deal with that tomorrow” in the post-game press conference. I want to keep the team front and centre.
“All 11 players performed incredibly well. I need to make a correction. The replacements that came on also put on a show. It was another squad performance. What we’ve seen, in my opinion, is 11 players on defence and 11 players on offence. I felt happy.
Man Utd reaching end of the road with Ronaldo?
Although Cristiano Ronaldo frequently makes headlines, his pouting departure couldn’t overshadow the team led by Erik ten Hag’s players taking yet another positive step in the right path.
Ronaldo, who was an unused replacement, complained that he was given little to do when United defeated Tottenham 2-0 thanks to goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes, but his complaints are unjustified given how well United played.
From beginning to end, United outplayed a weak Spurs team, proving their continuous acclimatisation to Ten Hag’s strategies with an offensive performance as thorough as any at Old Trafford in recent memory, much alone since the Dutchman took over.
The result might have been much more lopsided if it weren’t for the heroics of Hugo Lloris. United made 28 shots on goal, the most of any team in a Premier League game this season and the most Antonio Conte had ever allowed as a manager.
Ronaldo was a bench player against Liverpool, Arsenal, and now Spurs, all of which United won with increasing ease. It is obvious that the team is already adjusting to life without him. His discontentment will only speed that up.
‘The only way is Ten Hag’s way’
On Sky Sports News, Dutch football analyst Marcel van der Kraan said:
“I don’t anticipate a peaceful discussion. We have observed in the past in Holland that he would make sure who was in command when he was dealing with stars in his squad.
He is also renowned for being an extremely stable manager; in all of his responsibilities, his discipline has never changed. His success also stems from that.
He is interacting with a player of Cristiano Ronaldo’s calibre for the first time in his career. That kind of star has never before turned against him. In the summer, he claimed that Ronaldo was one of his most crucial players.
“Ten Hag made it quite apparent that the fact that he skipped preseason was crucial. The Erik ten Hag path is the sole possible route. The talk we’re having today will go like this.
“It was intriguing that he claimed he would deal with it tomorrow last night. He hasn’t been afraid to confront someone in the past. Only two years ago, Noa Lang, a Dutch international, gave him a tongue-lashing on the field during a significant cup match.
“Ten Hag got off the bench and shouted at him on the touchline in front of every television camera so that everyone could hear it, as well as the spectators behind the dugout, to make it very obvious that he did not tolerate it. “I make the decisions here, it’s not your game, it’s a team game,” All of that was audible. It also demonstrated how important the team is.
“I anticipate that Ronaldo won’t be a member of the United squad until there are significant financial incentives for the team to keep him there if they have to pay him too much to leave,” said the author.
