Cristiano Ronaldo is being lauded as one of the world’s greatest-ever players after scoring his 700th club goal - but Erik ten Hag still only sees him as his third-best striker.
Rather than the starring role he craves at Manchester United, Ronaldo will have to be content with a supporting role under Ten Hag. He may be one of the legends of the game, but Ten Hag sees him as below Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in his pecking order of No 9s.
Ronaldo, 37, has made just one Premier League start this season in the car crash at Brentford and he only came on at Everton because Antony Martial suffered a back injury. Martial’s injury may provide Ronaldo with more minutes, but that will only be in the short term.
The stats back up Ten Hag’s view of Ronaldo and his landmark strike in the 2-1 win at Goodison Park was only his second in 12 appearances this season. By contrast, Rashford has five goals this season and Martial three in just four games.
There could be a power play taking place between Ten Hag and Ronaldo and the United boss was muted in his praise for the Portugal star’s Herculean achievement. He initially referred to it saying, it was good “to see the sub come on and score a goal”. Not legend or great, just “the sub”.
Ten Hag did congratulate Ronaldo when pressed and instead rival manager Frank Lampard delivered a more glowing tribute, hailing the Reds legend as “one of the greatest players who has graced the game”.
Ronaldo’s team-mates lined up to pat him on the back and his compatriot Bruno Fernandes joked it is hard keeping up with his record-breaking feats.
Should Cristiano Ronaldo play more minutes for Man Utd? Have your say here
“Every week it seems like a new record,” said the United captain. “For a little while, he didn’t score, but today he had a goal and we won. That’s the most important thing for Cristiano.”
Victor Lindelof is also in awe of Ronaldo’s goalscoring prowess and said: “I’m very happy for him. I think his numbers speak for themselves. To come in and to perform and to score goals at his age is just remarkable, so a fantastic football player.”
Ten Hag is not a member of this Ronaldo fan club and it is clear his status in his eyes won’t change just because he has scored his 700th club goal. For the Dutchman, he will still be an impact player off the bench and someone to use on Thursday nights in the Europa League when he wants to give Rashford a rest.
It almost feels like this is Ten Hag’s revenge on Ronaldo after he made his summer so difficult by trying to force his way out of Old Trafford.
It is ironic that one of the reasons why Ronaldo wanted to go was because he wanted to play in the Champions League rather than the Europa League and the second-tier competition could be his bread and butter this season.
