The Manchester United players were taken aback by Erik ten Hag’s treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo when he rejected the chance to enter the game against Tottenham Hotspur as a substitute.
Ronaldo declined to enter as a late substitution in United’s victory over Spurs and left the field before the final whistle at Old Trafford. Ten Hag made the decision to remove the 37-year-old from the United team list that played against Chelsea.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the players were impressed by the tactful yet firm manner shown by the manager to handle the problem.
On Thursday, United will host FC Sheriff in the Europa League and it seems that the Portuguese star will get a chance to play. Ronaldo had a direct chat with the manager before he was allowed to train with the first team at Carrington today.
This season, he has started all of United’s Europa League games. His season-opening goal was scored against the same opponent a few weeks prior. The manager’s only other first-team striker option is Marcus Rashford due to questions about Anthony Martial’s fitness.
Although being active in the final third, United’s number 10 has been guilty of squandering numerous chances to score. Ronaldo may return to the starting lineup since he is a much more composed player when in front of the goal.
It is unclear, though, whether the Dutchman would start the veteran right away. The manager is the one who makes decisions here, and the dressing room is aware of Ten Hag’s tough nature. United had missed such a strong manager for a very long time.
