Aheed Abrar
Graeme Souness slams Manchester United and Erik ten Hag for their treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United have been slammed by Graeme Souness for their treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo at the club. The ex-Liverpool player leapt to the defence of the 37-year-old for his recent antics with the Red Devils.
The Portugal international refused to come on as a late substitute against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. He subsequently proceeded to walk down the tunnel before the final whistle had blown.
Consequently, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was axed from the squad that was set to travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. And speaking on talkSPORT (h/t Metro), Souness took a swipe at Erik ten Hag and suggested Ronaldo was right in what he did.
“In five years, Ten Hag will be away from the club and nobody will talk about him and his spell as Manchester United ever again, but Ronaldo will always be remembered as arguably the greatest to have ever kicked a football.
“Does that give Ronaldo a pass? It does, in my opinion.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to Manchester last year after leaving the Red Devils in 2009 for Real Madrid. And the 37-year-old’s first season back was impressive. He finished as our leading goalscorer in all competitions.
However, with the arrival of a new gaffer at the end of the previous campaign, the Portugal international has had a hard time getting into the first team.
Ronaldo missed most of pre-season under Ten Hag. He was benched for the first game against Brighton & Hove Albion. The forward came on in the second half but could not help the side as we lost 2-1.
The Dutch manager proceeded to start the Portuguese star against Brentford. Unfortunately, he did not have the intended impact as the Old Trafford side lost 4-0.
Since then, Ronaldo has majorly featured in the Europa League for United. The 37-year-old has started just twice for the Red Devils in the Premier League this season.
More Manchester United News
- Louis van Gaal excludes Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek from provisional World Cup squad; Tyrell Malacia makes the cut
- AC Milan star Mike Maignan could be an option for Manchester United in their goalkeeper hunt
- Manchester United ‘will not sign’ replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo in January transfer window
Ronaldo is one of the greatest of all time. However, it doesn’t allow him to get a free pass and set a bad example for others at the club. There are many, many people who look up to him and this is not the kind of behaviour we would want them to learn from him.
It is a team sport after all. The badge of the club reigns supreme over everyone else and a team can only function well if the manager has complete authority. Ten Hag, hence, did the correct thing by making an example out of the Portugal international.
