Dutch coach Erik ten Hag confirmed that he did not include his Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half during Sunday’s match once morest Manchester City “out of respect for his career”.
Erling Haaland scored three goals and his colleague Phil Foden added another hat-trick as defending champions Manchester City beat neighbors Manchester United 6-3 in the city’s Premier League summit on Sunday.
“Ronaldo did not participate in the second half out of respect for his great career,” Ten Hag said at the press conference.
He added regarding the meeting to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): It is simple and regarding the lack of confidence. When you don’t feel confident on the field you can’t win matches and that’s not acceptable.
He continued: We did not abide by the instructions and suffered a severe loss, and this is what happened today.
City’s tally of 20 points from eight matches is second, one point behind leaders Arsenal, while United remain in sixth place with 12 points.
