Ten Hag willing to let Ronaldo go?

Another day, another defeat, another disappointing performance…basically a normal situation at Old Trafford. The problem is, it’s the ‘Theatre of dreams,’ a stadium of one of the biggest clubs in the world and this situation is unacceptable. We are not talking about a third-tier relegation struggling club, it’s Manchester United. But since sir Alex Ferguson walked away, or to be precise, since the Glazer family took over the club, little by little, the club fell behind and it looks that the tough days are still ahead, and the end is not in sight. If you think it’s not that bad, just remember that the best player wants to leave (but can’t find the club), the executives are not letting him go (but are thinking about it), and the players have been punished by running 14 kilometres with over 30 degrees outside. And the next league game is against Liverpool.

One of many weak spots in Manchester’s Saturday thrashing in Brentford (4-0) was the lack of effort. It was visible for all to see after the match that United's players covered 95.6km during the 90 minutes compared to 109.4km covered by Brentford. So, coach Erik Ten Hag decided to punish his players for their laziness. First, he cancelled the day off and told the players to come to the training ground on Sunday, and then he made them run for 13.8 kilometres, which is the exact number of kilometres for which they fell short. And all that in the open, with over 30 degrees in the sun.

'If you thought it couldn't get any lower, it just has'

But the less run mileage is just one of his problems. He is faced with a persistent “Cristiano Ronaldo” crisis as new information emerges from the training camp. According to The Athletic, the Dutch tactician is having second thoughts about his decision to keep the Portuguese forward in the club. Ten Hag was so far always determined to keep Ronaldo and said so publicly a few times, but the sources from the training ground say that the situation is not rosy. Manchester’s best player is unhappy, and he is not hiding it. Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be training well, but he exchanged words with Ten Hag's No 2 Steve McClaren at the final whistle after refusing to applaud United's travelling fans, and there is a feeling that his mood is having a negative effect on the dressing room. After missing all of pre-season for ‘personal reasons, Ronaldo is finding it difficult to reintegrate into the squad. The report claims that since returning to the fold, there have been days where Ronaldo sits by himself during lunch at the canteen at their Carrington training ground, and he was also seen flapping his arms about in training and trying to argue against the high-pressing approach implemented by Ten Hag. 

Sky Sports reported that United has been willing to terminate Ronaldo’s contract for the good of both sides, but the club has denied the claims since and confirmed that they count on Cristiano, and it looks that Ten Hag will have to as well, at least until the Liverpool game. He lacks quality strikers, as Martial is injured, and Rashford is still not in great form. On the other side is Ronaldo, who wants out, but his manager cannot find a club who would accept him. Last week he was offered to Inter and Milan, but both clubs refused the offer. United is desperately looking for new strikers, but those names are in the ‘B’ category, and even those deals are not certain: Raul De Thomas, Alvaro Morata, Mauro Icardi….

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Saturday

Aston Villa - Everton 2-1 (1-0)

/Ings 31, Buendia 85 - Digne 87 og/

Arsenal - Leicester 4-2 (2-0)

/Jesus 22, 35, Xhaka 55, Martinelli 75 - Saliba 53 og, Maddison 74/

Brighton - Newcastle 0-0

Manchester City - Bournemouth 4-0 (3-0)

/Gundogan 19, De Bruyne 31, Foden 37. Lerma 79 og/

Southampton - Leeds 2-2 (0-0)

/Aribo 72, Walker-Peters 81 - Rodrigo 46, 60/

Wolverhampton - Fulham 0-0

Brentford - Manchester United 4-0 (4-0)

/Dasilva 10, Jensen 18, Mee 30, Mbeumo 35/

Sunday

Nottingham Forest - West Ham 1-0 (0-0)

/Awoniyi 45+2/

Chelsea - Tottenham 2-2 (1-0)

/Koulibaly 19, James 77 - Hojbjerg 68, Kane 90+6/

Monday

22.00: (1.20) Liverpool (7.75) Crystal Palace (16.0)

***odds are subject to change