Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has praised Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag for not 'embarrassing' Cristiano Ronaldo during the derby defeat to Manchester City.
The Reds lost 6-3 to Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad earlier this month, with the United manager opting against bringing Ronaldo on, despite the Dutchman making use of all five of his substitutions.
Following the match, Ten Hag claimed that he left the 37-year-old forward on the bench partly out of respect to his remarkable career. However, the decision to snub the Portuguese international led to widespread criticism from a number of former players and pundits, including Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.
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Despite this, Arsenal legend Wright has suggested that the Dutchman made the right call with Ronaldo, arguing that it was the 'best thing to do' given the circumstances on the day,
Speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast, he said: "I want to say something about Ten Hag respecting Ronaldo’s legacy by not bringing him on against Manchester City. There’s something in that which I found very magnanimous and respectful.
"No one can understand – apart from Ten Hag – what it’s like to be sitting there in the dugout with one of the greatest players of all-time on the bench. Your team is losing 4-0 and you know the cameras are on him. Ten Hag didn’t want to embarrass Ronaldo by bringing him on at 4-0.
"We’re not talking about prime Ronaldo here, we’re talking about an ageing Ronaldo. At 4-0, is he going to make the big difference? Obviously he scored against Everton and it was brilliant. But when you’re 4-0 down – against Man City – it was the best thing to do. Ten Hag did the right thing for Ronaldo. I love that."
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