Erik ten Hag knew how Cristiano Ronaldo would react to being dropped for Manchester United
manchestereveningnews.co.ukErik ten Hag knew exactly how Cristiano Ronaldo would react to being dropped from Manchester United's starting XI. Telling a player that they are no longer in a team's starting line-up is never an easy job for a manager.
When that player has won five Ballon d'Or awards, it becomes that little bit harder. Ronaldo missed United's pre-season, citing family issues as the reason for his absence.
Ten Hag named him on the bench for the opening day 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford, and although the 37-year-old did come on shortly after the second half had started, he was not able to help his team back into the match. ALSO READ: Erik ten Hag can fix Manchester United striker problem for free in the summer The Portugal international was then reinstated to United's starting XI for their next match against Brentford - fans will not need reminding of the outcome.
Since the sobering defeat in the capital, Ronaldo has only played 80 minutes in the Premier League in United's subsequent four games against Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal.
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