The situation of Cristiano Ronaldo can be more troublesome at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag as Anthony Martial is back from injury. The Frenchman scored twice in the Manchester Derby after coming on the field as a substitute.
Cristiano Ronaldo not playing for Erik ten Hag’s side and being an unused substitute became a piece of chart-topping news itself. In the Manchester United Derby, after the first half, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were leading the match 4-0.
And when the Dutch manager made all his five changes, it became definite that the Portuguese striker isn’t coming to play at Etihad Stadium soon.
Ronaldo has only got to start two games under the former Ajax manager, one in the UEFA Europa League and one in the English Premier League. Moreover, as Anthony Martial is back, it feels like Erik ten Hag isn’t really fond of Cristiano Ronaldo.
What was said by Erik ten Hag in the press conference?
The topic of Ronaldo arose in the sixth question of Erik ten Hag’s press conference: “I appreciate Anthony Martial came on, did well, scored twice, but is Cristiano Ronaldo going to be a third-choice striker for you now, going forward?”
“I wouldn’t bring him in because out of respect for Cristiano, for his big career,” Ten Hag said. “And the other thing was the advantage I could bring Anthony Martial, he needs the minutes but I don’t want to point it out like that.”
Erik ten Hag’s replies and what he’s actually doing have left several Manchester United as well as Cristiano Ronaldo followers fuming and unsatisfied. The last time Ronaldo was not made use of was when he was at Juventus in May 2021.
It’s clear that Erik ten Hag’s tactics and formations want to take the best use of the young and agile attackers of the Squad. Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are used by the Dutch attacker tentatively while Anthony Elanga is also another name on the list.
Apart from everything, the Dutch coach had to suffer from disrespect after showing Cristiano Ronaldo respect. Several fans around the world and Former Manchester United player Roy Keane were surely not in favour of Erik ten Hag’s decision.
