Although his Manchester United career looked like it could be over just two weeks ago, Cristiano Ronaldo remains an ‘important player’ for manager Erik ten Hag.
That’s according to the Dutch tactician himself, who has once again been forced to speak about United’s iconic number seven.
Ronaldo, 37, hit sporting headlines when he refused to come on as a substitute during United’s two-nil win against Spurs and then stormed off down the Old Trafford tunnel before the final whistle had blown.
Punished by the club, as per their official website, the five-time Ballon d’Or was dropped from his manager’s matchday squad to face Chelsea last weekend and had to train away from the side’s other senior players.
However, recalled back to the first team, Ronaldo marked his return with a goal in the Europa League against FC Sheriff earlier this week.
In light of what has been a turbulent couple of weeks, Ten Hag has reiterated that the Portugal international’s recent antics are now nothing more than water under the bridge.
Speaking ahead of United’s upcoming Premier League clash against West Ham, Ten Hag, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, said: “Did Cristiano Ronaldo apologize? Enough said on that, so I gave enough explanations. We are happy that he’s here, Cristiano is an important player.
“Thursday he scored and we are happy about that. He can even be more important.”