Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo turned down the opportunity to replace himself against Tottenham Hotspur. The drama continues as Ronaldo might slowly destroy his legacy at Manchester United. This also raises many questions about his future and whether he will become a free agent, re-sign with United or join another big club to end his career.
Prior to the 2-0 victory over Spurs on Wednesday, Ronaldo was observed leaving the bench. He then left the stadium before Ten Hag and the rest of the United team entered the locker room.
At a news conference on Friday, Ten Hag acknowledged that Ronaldo declined to enter the match as a late substitution, which led the Dutchman to leave the 37-year-old out of the team to play Chelsea on Saturday.
When asked if Ronaldo declined to replace another player against Tottenham, Ten Hag responded, “Yes.
Ten Hag continued by saying that Ronaldo had already received a warning for his actions after he was seen leaving Old Trafford early from the preseason match against Rayo Vallecano in July.
Manchester’s manager added to his statement: “I am the manager and I am responsible for the top sport culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them. “We are a team and in the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that. After Rayo Vallecano, I told [him] it was unacceptable but he was not the only one, but that is for everyone so when it’s the second time, there will be consequences.”
On Friday, Ronaldo worked out alone with fitness instructors and won’t play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Ten Hag stated that the Portugal forward is still “an important player” and that he is anticipated to rejoin the main group on Monday before the Europa League match against FC Sheriff at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Ten Hag, who will also be missing Anthony Martial against Chelsea as the Frenchman continues his recovery from a back injury, stated that “the negotiations are between Cristiano and me.”
Ten Hag also added: “We will miss him tomorrow. It’s a miss for the squad but it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important. He remains an important part of the squad.”
