Erik ten Hag corrects Man Utd comment that hammers true feelings on Cristiano Ronaldo home

Steve Pearson 20 Oct 2022 9:41 AM

Man Utd striker Cristiano Ronaldo and manager Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag was keen to correct his own comment about the Man Utd victory over Tottenham that hinted at his true feelings towards Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United produced arguably their finest display yet under Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils were all over Tottenham from start to finish and but for Hugo Lloris rolling back the years, could have put four or even five past Spurs.

In the end, the hosts were made to settle for a 2-0 victory. A deflected Fred strike got the ball rolling, while Bruno Fernandes did exactly what his manager asked pre-match and got back among the goals.

However, the gloss was taken off the victory to some degree by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 37-year-old was selected to start from the bench, though Ten Hag did not see fit to bring him on.

As a result, Ronaldo opted to walk down the tunnel in the 89th minute and did not engage in the post-match celebrations with the rest of the United squad.

Ronaldo wanted out of Man Utd over the summer in the hopes of chasing his Champions League ambitions. No clubs who could satisfy that demand made offers, meaning Ten Hag was left stuck with an ageing icon who does not suit his system.

Ronaldo’s latest antics on Wednesday night have predictably courted the headlines.

Full reaction to Ronaldo antics

Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra weighed in post-match, while Alan Shearer stirred the pot with his comment about Fernandes and Ronaldo.

Ten Hag insisted he paid no attention to Ronaldo’s early exit and stated he’ll “deal with that” on Thursday.

However, the Dutchman’s comments about United’s team performance and thanking not just those that started hinted at his true feelings towards Ronaldo.

“Yeah, I don’t pay attention to that, we deal with that tomorrow,” Ten Hag said post-match (via the Manchester Evening News).

“We want to focus on this team, it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players.”

Quickly correcting that comment to include the substitutes in his praise, Ten Hag added: “I have to mention, I said 11 players, I have to correct myself: it was a performance also from the subs who came on who had a good role and, once again, it was a squad performance.”

Clearly, Ten Hag is trying to instil a sense of unity among a squad that has looked fractured under previous managers.

In his mind at least, the collective at Man Utd will always take precedent over individuals, even those as heralded as Ronaldo.

“11 players who defend” – Ten Hag

He continued: “And, in answer to your question, we deal with [Ronaldo] tomorrow and what we have seen today was 11 players who defend, 11 players who attack there was a lot of dynamism in the attack as well.

“I am pleased with that but I won’t say I am totally satisfied because good is not good enough, that has to be the standard here.”

When explaining why Marcus Rashford beat out Ronaldo to start up front, Ten Hag explained: “What we needed was first, I think, against this Tottenham, you need good pressing.

“You need good counter-press. Because from there you can create chances, so we needed really good pressing players.

“And, offensive-wise, you need [to be] dynamic and that is what Marcus can bring.

“You saw in the last 20 minutes against Newcastle from the moment he came in, he changed the game, more dynamic, more gaps and the players benefited from it.”

Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo Erik ten Hag