Erik ten Hag has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo was only fourth in the Manchester United captaincy pecking order after a thoroughly miserable afternoon against Aston Villa.
The Portuguese forward was selected to start the game in the Midlands and was surprisingly handed the captain’s armband - just the second time he has been bestowed with that responsibility in the Premier League in his career.
It did not have the desired effect as the Red Devils slumped to a 3-1 defeat. Ronaldo struggled to have an impact on the game, whilst he could potentially have seen red having come to blows with Villa defender Tyrone Mings during the second half. The incident saw both shown yellow cards with VAR deciding that there was no need for any more punishment.
Whilst Ronaldo failed to live up to the billing of captain, Ten Hag admitted that the veteran was only selected in the absence of better-suited teammates.
Speaking after the final whistle at Villa Park, the Dutchman said: “Harry Maguire is on the bench, our captain of the club. Then it is about David de Gea who is a leader but is a goalie and is far away from the outfield.
“Then Casemiro is the leader but he is not speaking perfect English so then Cristiano is the leader.”
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It remains to be seen if Ronaldo is handed the armband again this season following his miserable outing - or indeed retains his place in the starting line-up. United have two more matches to navigate before the enforced break for the World Cup.
They have a rematch with Aston Villa next week in the third round of the Carabao Cup before taking on Fulham in the final league fixture.
The fallout of the debacle in the Midlands will continue in the meantime though. Having seen his side’s nine-match undefeated run come to an end, Ten Hag further admitted that United deserved to be on the losing side against Villa.
Speaking with BBC Sport, he said: "We lose the game at the start of the first half and second half, that is unacceptable. They looked fresher, more ready. The result is clear, it never lies. In football, you always get your own earnings. Today we were not good enough.
"After a long time this has happened, I said it was up to us. We didn't keep the ball, we didn't get the right organisation, didn't follow the rules and lost battles. Our players have experience.
"You have to read the game, get the right organisation and not concede two goals. That was totally unnecessary. We need to be sharper. You have to be compact and stand on the ball. Everyone has to win their own battles, we didn't, that is disappointing.”
