Ex-Manchester United star believes the handling of the Cristiano Ronaldo situation should win Erik ten Hag the award
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has backed Erik ten Hag to get the Manager of the Year after how the Dutchman dealt with the Cristiano Ronaldo situation.
The relationship between ten Hag and Ronaldo wasn’t good since the pre-season. Then the latter did that interview with Piers Morgan, revealing all the stuff that should not have been. Days later, the Portuguese superstar’s contract was mutually terminated.
Before that and after the start of the season, ten Hag was stern in not picking Ronaldo when he did not see the best fit. United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford in October and the latter was an unused sub in that game. He went off the field before the full-time whistle, which was an act of utter disrespect to the manager and the team who played so well that night.
Keeping all those things in mind, here’s what Saha said about how well the former Ajax boss dealt with this situation (h/t OLBG, via Manchester Evening News):
“For me it was between Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag [for manager of the year]. I will give the edge to Erik ten Hag.
“I think the challenges that he had to face within the team – such as the Cristiano Ronaldo saga – were way harder than what Arteta had to deal with. I respect what Arteta has done with Arsenal but in terms of teams, there are less egos that he had to deal with.”
Not just the Ronaldo situation though, ten Hag was stern enough to drop the club captain Harry Maguire when he was performing badly. He stuck with the partnership of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez that delivered instant great rewards.
The Dutchman also led United to break their trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup in February. They can double that by lifting the FA Cup next month, with Manchester City and their treble charge in the way.
If we are talking about the Manager of the Year award, there are better candidates than Mikel Arteta challenging for it. Roberto De Zerbi has done a sensational job, while Eddie Howe has punched above the weight at Newcastle United.
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Ten Hag might edge all of his competitors if he masterminds an FA Cup final over the neighbours.
