Friday, October 21, 2022 – Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has claimed that Erik ten Hag doesn’t ‘respect’ Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese legend stormed down the tunnel for being an unused substitute during United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Manchester United’s victory, arguably the best performance of the Ten Hag era so far, was overshadowed when Ronaldo reacted to not being brought on by disappearing down the tunnel in the 89th minute.
Following the action, Ronaldo received widespread criticism from fans and pundits on social media, but United legend Evra defended him – insisting he was unhappy with the treatment of his former teammate at the club.
‘I would have to start [Ronaldo],’ Evra told Amazon Prime.
‘One interview from Ten Hag after the game against Manchester City and why he didn’t bring him on was because he respected his character.
‘If he respected his character, he would surely have to play him and play him every time.’
‘It is not an easy one, but for the boss, he is here for the team, not Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano is part of the team and you need to find that solution.
‘At times, he has to play without him and what’s difficult is when people talk about him, he will talk about what he has done in the game and not many people can sit on his table who have achieved what he has, but it is about what he is currently doing and what he is doing is not what he used to.’
Wednesday’s exit from the field was the second time Ronaldo has left a United game without permission under Ten Hag. In July, the 37-year-old exited Old Trafford at half-time after being substituted in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
Ten Hag described that incident as ‘unacceptable’ but pointed out that Ronaldo wasn’t the only United player who went early.
Ten Hag failed to give an answer when he was asked if Ronaldo had been given permission to leave. The United manager said: ‘I have seen him, but I didn’t speak to him. I will deal with that tomorrow, not today. We are celebrating this victory.’
The win over Spurs took United up to fifth in the Premier League, with Ten Hag’s side now unbeaten in five games in all competitions.
0 Comments