Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo’s early exit from the club’s friendly match against Rayo Vallecano was unacceptable. Ronaldo decided to leave the stadium after he was substituted by the head coach at the half-time.
Ronaldo’s actions didn’t go well with a lot of football experts and the Dutchman was also not impressed by his striker. In fact, this was Ronaldo’s first match of the preseason as he had missed tours to Thailand and Australia after citing personal reasons. Furthermore, there were doubts over his future at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo was picked in the starting XI against Rayo Vallecano but his performance was not up to the mark, which forced Erik Ten Hag to make the change.
“There were many more (as well as Ronaldo) who went home,” the United boss said.
The Dutchman added that they are a team and Ronaldo should have stayed until the end of the match.
“This is unacceptable for everyone,” he said. “I tell them that it’s unacceptable, that we are a team, a squad and that you should stay until the end.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo was in top form in the previous season as he scored 18 goals and provided three assists in the Premier League. Furthermore, he had scored a total of 24 goals in 38 matches across competitions for the Red Devils. Thus, the Portuguese will look to replicate the same success in the upcoming season.
However, CR7 might not be included in the team’s starting XI for the opening match of the season. Manchester United will begin their campaign against Brighton on Saturday.
On the other hand, Manchester United registered wins against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace but shared the spoils with Aston Villa and Rayo Vallecano.
