Erik ten Hag has strongly suggested that Manchester United are getting closer to the team he wants them to become without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, 37, quit Old Trafford in November following an infamous interview with Piers Morgan in which he slammed Ten Hag, former team-mates and United's owners, the Glazer family. But trouble had been brewing for months prior, with the Portuguese superstar, then in his second spell with the Red Devils, desperate to leave the club last summer before ultimately being denied a move away.
After Ronaldo burned his bridges during the aforementioned unsanctioned interview, Ten Hag and the Old Trafford hierarchy felt that United would be better off by axing him altogether. Since then, the Red Devils have ended their six-year trophy drought, enjoyed an impressive second half of the season and qualified for the Champions League, vindicating Ronaldo's exit.
