Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has sent a strong, no-nonsense message to Cristiano Ronaldo following the Portuguese superstar’s difficult start to the season.
Ronaldo hasn’t been a starter for most of this season so far, despite continuing to be a top performer for Man Utd last term, when he finished as the club’s top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions.
With United missing out on Champions League football after their poor performances last season, Ronaldo missed much of the club’s pre-season as he seemed to push for a move away from Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has now addressed the situation, and seems to be stamping down his authority by making it clear that he feels his players cannot miss pre-season if they want to be up to speed with how his teams play.
As quoted by the Guardian, the Dutch tactician said: “I will be his friend and sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation.
“As we all know he didn’t have the pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season. It is a base and especially in the game we play, the way of play. We play another type compared to last year.
“It depends on the demands, cooperation and certain positioning [of players], in and out of position, and the other thing is fitness.”
United fans will have mixed feelings about this, as Ronaldo surely still has plenty to offer this Red Devils side, though at the same time it’s encouraging to see Ten Hag making it clear who’s boss.
There has surely been too much player power at MUFC for a long time now, and Ten Hag seems strong enough to try to put an end to that.
There’s also an argument, however, that these comments might come across as disrespectful of such an all-time great of the game, especially when Ten Hag himself has not achieved a great deal by comparison.