Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo and the other players that made an early exit from the pre-season fixture against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, calling the behavior ‘unacceptable’.
The Reds drew 1-1 with the Spanish side at Old Trafford last weekend, with Ronaldo making his first appearance of pre-season under the new boss.
Having himself confirmed that he would be in the squad to face Rayo days prior, the Portuguese forward started and played 45 minutes before being substituted by Amad at half time.
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Ronaldo did not put on a memorable performance, albeit he did not look too far off the pace considering those were his first minutes of on pitch action in some months. However, even if he had scored a hat-trick, that display too would have been overshadowed by his half-time escapades.
The five time Ballon d’Or winner was pictured leaving the stadium and posing for pictures with fans shortly after the Reds kicked off for the second-half. According to reports, he was not the only one.
United faced Atletico Madrid in Oslo, Norway, the day before Rayo came to town. As a result, a number of players were rested and in the directors box spectating. Out of those, several were said to have left during the interval too, according to Ten Hag himself. However it was just Ronaldo and right-back Diogo Dalot that were caught on camera.
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After days of silence from both the club and the boss, Ten Hag spoke out on the matter for the first time upon the beginning of his extensive media duties ahead of United’s Premier League opener against Brighton on Sunday.
Ten Hag deemed his players' behaviours as unacceptable and corrected the interviewer’s claim that Ronaldo was the only one to leave. The 52-year-old stressed the importance of being a team and behaving as such.
Shortly thereafter, James Ducker of The Telegraph reported that: “United sources said the situation was an internal disciplinary matter and would not confirm if the players involved have been or would be fined by Ten Hag.”
Adding to his response while speaking with Dutch media, Ten Hag said: “We are a team, we are a squad. You have to stay until the end.”
Naturally, because of his stature, Ronaldo’s departure garnered far more attention than those of his teammates. As much as it’s frowned upon for anyone to leave early, it certainly is so for someone who is such a big role model to so many of the players in United’s ranks.
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Ronaldo’s questionable behaviour comes on the back of his burning desire to leave Old Trafford this summer. It is a saga that has been brewing and continuously developing in recent weeks.
However, the lack of takers for a 37-year-old striker that requires a whole system to be built around him could force the Portugal captain to remain and play a part in Ten Hag’s rebuild of the sleeping giant – at least for this season. Or until January.
With that, Ten Hag also addressed Ronaldo’s fit into his side. He said: “I think he can. It starts with him getting fit, he just started. He is a fantastic football player – he’s proved it so many times.
“You will always be judged on what you are presenting now, performing now, so the team and Cristiano himself has to prove it.”
Having missed the entirety of pre-season until sometime last week, Ronaldo is set to start United’s Premier League curtain raiser on the bench, with Anthony Martial poised to lead the line after an impressive preparation period.
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With three weeks still remaining in the transfer window, United will be desperate to conduct some more business in terms of incomings to bulk up Ten Hag’s somewhat thin looking squad.
However, resolving Ronaldo’s future is arguably of the most importance with the boss and his dressing room needing and deserving clarity in order to avoid disruptions once the season gets into the thick of things.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Dalot