Erik ten Hag had to 'walk through minefields' in his first few months at Manchester United as he dealt with the Cristiano Ronaldo situation, according to a close friend of the Reds manager.
The Dutchman endured a nightmare start to the season - losing to Brighton and Brentford on the opening two weekends of the campaign. After a frustrating beginning to his reign as manager, Ten Hag dropped Ronaldo to the bench following the 4-0 thrashing at Brentford.
It was clear that the Portuguese forward was unhappy at Old Trafford, and he refused to come on as a substitute in a home victory over Tottenham Hotspur in October, before storming down the tunnel ahead of the final whistle. He missed the following game against Chelsea as a result.
