The rumoured poor relationship between Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has prompted a number of pundits and commentators to provide their verdict on the matter.
Although Ten Hag won’t be following what the public has to say about the situation, it must be acknowledged that the Dutchman has handled the circumstances admirably well.
Under the gaffer, Ronaldo has not been a consistent starter this year, and when the 37-year-old was asked to replace Marcus Rashford against Tottenham, he declined to do so. As a result, he was not included in last week’s game against Chelsea. In a statement earlier on Tuesday, former Liverpool player Graeme Souness became the latest pundit to talk about this matter and his words don’t seem to make sense to any United fan.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, the former Liverpool player said:
“In five years, Ten Hag will be away from the club and nobody will talk about him and his spell at Manchester United ever again, but Ronaldo will always be remembered as arguably the greatest to have ever kicked a football.”
“He’s one of the game’s greats and you have to cut him some slack and keep him on-side. You know that if you’ve got an unhappy Ronaldo in your dressing room then you’ve got a major problem.”
It’s an odd position to have, especially given that Ten Hag’s first few months at the club have been extremely positive given the number of changes that have occurred since his arrival. Ten Hag’s first three months were significantly more difficult than Jurgen Klopp’s first three years combined.
It has also been reported that Souness would probably depart his role as a pundit for Sky Sports at the conclusion of this year. United fans will be happy to hear that he would be leaving the role, as his hatred for the Red Devils has gone down to another level with his baseless comments.
Ten Hag has earned plaudits for handling the tantrums well and he has brought a positive change in the dressing room. The players are enjoying football again and his philosophies are clearly visible in our most recent matches.
