The mystery continues about the future of Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United, especially after the remarkable victory of the Red Devils over traditional rivals Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford, on Monday, in a match in which the Portuguese star participated during its last minutes only.
The victory came after two bitter losses for Manchester United, the first at home at the start of his Premier League campaign against Brighton 1-2, and the second when he fell humiliatingly against Brentford with a clean four, in which goals were scored in the first half.
And the new Dutch coach of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, made a firm decision to keep Ronaldo on the bench. His decision was right; Because the front three of Marcus Rashford, Swede Anthony Ilanga and Jadon Sancho put a lot of pressure on Liverpool’s ball carrier and prevented the opposing team from building attacks which the 37-year-old would not have done.
Observers confirm that Ronaldo’s style and age are not compatible with Ten Hag’s style, which depends on constant pressure, which made them expect that Ronaldo will not be able to participate mainly from now on, at least in the foreseeable future, despite Ten Hag leaving the door open to that by saying: “I am not in Need to talk about Harry Maguire (the captain of the team also left out of the starting line-up against Liverpool) and Ronaldo. They are two amazing players who will play a role in the near future,” he said, noting that it would be difficult to keep them out of the squad.
He added: “I think he (Ronaldo) can (adapt with tactics). Throughout his career he did it under many coaches in many styles and systems. He always performed, so why not do it? His age is not an issue.”
He continued: “We have a team, we have a style of play and a plan. You look at the best way to play the game. Today we relied on these players, and next Saturday (against Southampton in the fourth stage), it may be different.”
deep chasm
But these statements hide the deep gulf between the coach and his star. This is due to Ronaldo’s absence from his team’s pre-season tour that included Thailand and Australia, explaining this for “family” reasons, at a time when his agent and compatriot Jorge Mendes was trying to find a club that would participate in the Champions League for his client to move to.
Then the confrontation between the two intensified when Ronaldo and several of his teammates left Old Trafford before the end of the friendly match against Villarreal after being substituted at the end of the first half.
The Portuguese played 37 minutes against Brighton, then the full match against Brentford and only 10 minutes against Liverpool on Monday.
Ronaldo starred last season after his return to Manchester United, where he previously defended his colors from 2003 to 2009, and scored 24 goals in various competitions, including 18 in the league, but Manchester United’s failure to grab the qualification ticket to the Champions League made him look for a new club. .
However, Ronaldo’s calculations, at least so far, were not correct, because all the elite clubs decided not to obtain his services for one reason or another, unless Mandesh, a seasoned player in the transfer market, succeeded in getting the rabbit out in the last few metres.
And the media tried to learn more about Ronaldo’s future when I asked his close friend and compatriot Bruno Fernandes after the match against Liverpool about his fate. He replied: “There are a lot of rumors. I may have one or two ideas on the subject, but I will not disclose it.”
He added: “For me he is a Manchester United player. I don’t know anything about his future if he will leave or not. As he himself said, he will talk about this soon and everyone will be able to hear what he has to say.”