Just 3 league starts this season
This article first appeared on Oct. 20 and has been updated with new information.
If Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United was still in doubt, things seemed to become a lot clearer on Thursday night. In the 87th minute of his side’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, the Portugal international was pictured walking down the tunnel at Old Trafford and leaving the game before full time. The clearest sign yet that the former Real Madrid and Juventus star is not happy about his bit-part role in Erik ten Hag’s side.
Speaking after the game, the Man Utd manager avoided the use of diplomatic messaging to instead describe Ronaldo’s behaviour as “unacceptable” and went on to state that the player would be dealt with in time. “Yeah, I don’t pay attention to that, we deal with that tomorrow,” Ten Hag said. “We want to focus on this team; it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players.” The club has since announced that Ronaldo is out of the squad for the foreseeable future. “Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea,” a club statement read. “The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
Ronaldo, Casemiro & Co. – The most expensive players aged 30 or older
However, while the Man Utd manager didn’t directly explain why Ronaldo has only had three starts in the Premier League this season, Ten Hag did indirectly hint at the senior player’s deficiencies by pointing out why Marcus Rashford was picked instead of the Portugal international. “What we needed was first, I think, against this Tottenham, you need good pressing,” Ten Hag explained. “You need good counter-press. Because from there you can create chances, so we needed really good pressing players. And, offensive-wise, you need dynamic and that is what Marcus can bring.”
Stuck on the bench – no genuine exit route in sight
The frustration clearly on show from Ronaldo is undoubtedly down to the player’s lack of game time ahead of what will surely be his last World Cup with Portugal. But the 37-year-old forward will also be grinding his teeth at the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any clear exit route for the player from Old Trafford in the near and immediate future.
Murmurs of a potential move to Qatar in the summer were quickly quashed due to the player’s reluctance to step down a number of levels, while reports of apparent interest from Chelsea never materialised. And while football romantics would love to see Ronaldo return to Sporting, it remains unclear how the Portuguese club could ever afford to release the player from his contract in January or indeed offer him a competitive salary when his current deal expires in 2023.
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