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Man Utd wasted Cristiano Ronaldo opportunity blasts coach, Ten Hag opting for two players instead upset him
Cristiano Ronaldo’s fairy-tale return to Old Trafford was cut short in 2022 when he fell out with Erik ten Hag.
The legendary No.7 for Manchester United’s return to the club was over a decade in the making with fans dreaming that the prodigal son would one day come home.
He did under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, however, it was short-lived, with Ole sacked, the season turned into a disaster before Erik ten Hag was then appointed manager.
The Dutchman clashed instantly with the United manager and within weeks, Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer untouchable and within months he had his contract terminated as he headed to Saudi Arabia.
Now, one of Ten Hag’s former coaches who he has worked with at Carrington has slammed the current Manchester United manager for his handling of the situation.
Benni McCarthy on how Erik ten Hag ruined chance to work with Cristiano Ronaldo
Former United coach Benni McCarthy was once credited with inspiring Marcus Rashford to be a 30-goal-season player.
However, he left his role at the club earlier this year and has now been discussing Ronaldo’s second spell at United to Zero Zero in Portugal.
“He [Ten Hag] wanted a forward who could press upfront. And Cristiano believed that this work should be done by the team as a whole.
“With him, in some areas, the best thing to do was to give him the ball and let him do his thing.
“Cristiano saw Ten Hag opting for [Anthony] Martial and Rashford in the ‘9’ position and he wasn’t happy, because he felt superior to all of them. The coach saw things differently.”
Continuing, McCarthy went on to explain that it was a huge missed opportunity.
“I think Manchester United wasted a great opportunity to use Cristiano in the right way. But I was not the head coach and I could not be the one to make those decisions.”
Did Manchester United make the right decision
The Ronaldo situation was one no United fan will have wanted to see transpire, however considering the fact he was causing problems it was ultimately the correct decision.
Backing Ten Hag over a club legend was a statement of intent for United, one which now looks like an ill-judged decision.
If Ineos had been in charge, chances are Ronaldo never would have been re-signed – and they also likely wouldn’t have terminated his contract had he joined before their arrival – due to the financial hit.
Ronaldo’s second spell may have been a disaster, ruining many fans’ dreams. But ultimately it was the right call to cut ties – as painful as it might have been and as frustrating as United are currently in front of goal.
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