Almost all has now been revealed regarding Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United, and with it looking increasingly likely he will stay, Erik ten Hag has a plan for the player.
Earlier on Wednesday, The Athletic released a reveal-all piece on the one year anniversary of Ronaldo’s long-awaited return to Old Trafford.
The article certainly made for some explosive reading, laying bare every detail of the Portuguese superstar’s not-so-fairytale return to Manchester United.
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But it also revealed that should he not depart between now and the end of the summer transfer window, Erik ten Hag does in fact have a plan for Cristiano Ronaldo and believes he can adapt.
Ten Hag has been unwavering in his stance since taking over the helm at United, insisting all along that things are done his way and he will not differ from that for anybody, not even Ronaldo.
In many ways, this is what the club needed. Devoid of any form of discipline ever since Mourinho’s first (and arguably second) season, the players had become bigger than the manager.
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But the Dutchman has set the agenda ever since arriving, and after a rocky start it looks like the players are responding to his methods.
These methods include cancelling the players’ day off after the Brentford thrashing to force them to run 13.8km in a heatwave, the distance Brentford outran them by. Ronaldo was part of this group.
In the two games since, Ronaldo has been dropped and United have looked a harder working, more intense football team as they beat Liverpool and Southampton.
It feels as though Ten Hag is doing this to prove a point: that he is the boss, will do things his way and Ronaldo is going to have to adapt to his ways if he wants to play.
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In many ways this feels like a challenge, and to a player known for overcoming challenges in his career it feels like a smart move from Ten Hag.
Whilst he has told Ronaldo he is not guaranteed to start every game, which he should not be doing anyways at his age, he has brought up some of Ronaldo’s previous coaches as an example of his adaptability.
Ronaldo has worked under a variety of coaches including of course Sir Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.
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He thrived under every single one of these managers in different ways and at different stages of his career. Under Zidane, he was constantly rotated to remain fresh for the important games, a sentiment Ten Hag seems to echo.
Ten Hag has shown Ronaldo how he adapted to these different coaches in their many meetings, and has challenged his number seven to also adapt to him.
The United legend has seemed happier in recent days in training as United’s form has picked up and signings have been made.
The arrival of his ex-Madrid teammate Casemiro has seen him pose a happier figure around Carrington, and he also gets along well with Lisandro Martínez, who speaks Spanish.
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The arrival of Brazilian winger Antony, who like Ronaldo has a native tongue of Portuguese, should only further improve Ronaldo’s mood around the squad.
Youngster Alejandro Garnacho has been pictured with his role model Ronaldo frequently since his integration into the side, and he seems to have taken the budding superstar under his wing.
Cristiano Ronaldo being happier at the club could go a long way to helping Erik ten Hag convince the forward to adapt to his style, and a locked-in Ronaldo only benefits the club.
United play Leicester on Thursday, also transfer deadline day, and if Ronaldo is part of the side then his performance, how many minutes he gets and his demeanour should foreshadow how things go forwards.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo