There has been an air of mystery surrounding the Cristiano Ronaldo situation in the last week, but Erik ten Hag has provided some clarity.
In his pre-match press conference before Manchester United’s first pre season game against Liverpool, Erik ten Hag was naturally quizzed about the club’s biggest name.
When asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's pre-season absence so far, he clarified: "He's not with us and it's due to personal issues."
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Rumours of Ronaldo exiting the club have swarmed worldwide media in the last couple of weeks, with the player reportedly very unhappy.
But the new boss went on and stated that he is planning for the season with Ronaldo, saying: "We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo this season and that's it. I look forward to working with him."
Naturally, working with the Portuguese superstar would be of great excitement for any manager in football. Ten Hag is no exception.
He continued with "Cristiano is not for sale, he's in our plans and we want success together.
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"I spoke with him [Ronaldo] before this issue came up. I had a conversation with him and had a real good talk."
When questioned on the contents of that discussion, his answer indicated the conversation was a positive one.
He would not reveal the exact content of the discussion, naturally so as it was a private discussion between the two.
"That is between Cristiano and me. The only thing that I can confirm is that we had a real good conversation together." was the Dutchman's response.
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Whether Ten Hag is putting on a front regarding Ronaldo’s exit rumours or believes he will stay remains to be seen.
With his first friendly game as the Manchester United boss tomorrow, he will not want drama surrounding it and would like to focus on the match.
United's number seven scored 18 Premier League goals last season, with only Mohamed Salah and Heung-Min Son scoring more. He added six Champions League goals to this.
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His departure would certainly remove plenty of goals from United’s front line, with the Old Trafford outfit having relied on him to pull rabbits out of hats on multiple occasions last season.
However, an argument can be made that despite losing the individual brilliance of Ronaldo, the collective group will improve without him due to his superstardom requiring the side to be built to service him.
United have relied on individual brilliance far too often in recent years and most of the time have not looked like there is a clear game plan, and Ten Hag will be keen to change this given his methodical nature and dedication to his footballing philosophy.
Whether or not he will be doing this with or without Ronaldo remains to be seen.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Erik Ten Hag, Football