Cristiano Ronaldo remained silent during a tense two-hour Manchester United showdown instigated by boss Erik ten Hag ahead of the side’s spirited defeat of Liverpool on Monday.
Ten Hag addressed his squad in an open meeting with all players and coaching staff present to assert his authority at the club and to give all the players an opportunity to speak up and air any grievances that they had. Among those who took this opportunity was Marcus Rashford, who quizzed the Dutchman on his early team selection – yet Ronaldo remained silent throughout.
The Portuguese superstar remains determined to depart the Red Devils this summer after just one season back at Old Trafford following his high-profile return from Juventus last year after 12 years away. He has been attempting to force through an exit for two months but no move has yet been concluded with just 10 days remaining in the transfer window.
The 37-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in the Premier League opening-weekend defeat by Brighton as he was not deemed fit enough to start. He was restored to the starting line-up for the humiliating four-goal loss at Brentford in the following game. Ronaldo snubbed a request from the club’s assistant coach Steve McClaren to acknowledge the travelling United fans after the game – showing the disillusion engulfing the club.
Yet he was notably excluded from the starting line-up who defeated Liverpool on Monday, with Rashford heading a three-man attack which also had Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho. It was the most fluid United had looked in months in attack, with Rashford and Sancho both scoring as Elanga hit the post.
There was a fresh snub for Ronaldo at half-time too, as Ten Hag substituted out Elanga but overlooked the Portuguese forward and instead introduced Anthony Martial for his first appearance of the season to fill the central attacking role.
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Ronaldo was one of four players to lose their place in United’s line-up including club captain Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Fred – and even though he was introduced as a late substitute in the second half, it was a clear signal of the direction of Ten Hag’s side.
It has now been outlined by the Sun how Ronaldo did not say a word during Ten Hag’s squad showdown talks ahead of the game – instead keeping his silence and letting others do the talking. The player is continuing to push for an exit from Old Trafford with less than a week remaining in the transfer window.
