Erik ten Hag has not been Manchester United manager for long, and he is yet to take charge of a single match, but he is already facing his first crisis.
United have jetted out to Thailand for the first leg of their pre-season tour. But rather than be able to fully concentrate on Tuesday’s friendly against Liverpool, he has been forced to address other issues. While Richard Arnold and John Murtough are in Barcelona chasing his dream of signing Frenkie de Jong, Ten Hag has been engulfed by the Cristiano Ronaldo soap opera.
Ronaldo is not with his team-mates out in Bangkok. Officially that is due to “family issues”, but unofficially it is linked to his desire to leave United this summer. Unhelpfully, the 37-year-old has waited until the eve of pre-season to drop the bombshell that he wants to leave and play Champions League football elsewhere and that has put immediate pressure on Ten Hag, who already has plenty on his plate as it is.
