Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler has backed Cristiano Ronaldo in the aftermath of his fallout with Erik ten Hag. Manchester United supporters were left stunned when the Portuguese superstar refused to come off the bench in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Rival fans and pundits universally condemned Ronaldo, with Ten Hag leaving him out of the squad for the trip to Chelsea last weekend. Talks took place between the player and manager as the 37-year-old was welcomed back into the team for the midweek clash against FC Sheriff.
However, the Ronaldo dilemma continues to dominate the agenda at Old Trafford. Fans are split on whether the forward - who has started just three Premier League games all season - should play a more active role in Ten Hag’s side.
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Avoiding the chance to stick the knife in, Reds legend Fowler preferred to defend Ronaldo amid recent backlash. The 47-year-old drew parallels with his own situation in 2001 when playing second fiddle to Michael Owen and Emile Heskey forced him to seek a move.
"I have been in this situation where I believed, without being egotistical, I was the best striker,” Fowler told FairBettingSites. “But, for whatever reason, the manager picks a team without you in it.
"As a player, it is hard to get your head around that you aren't the first player being picked for the team. But what do you do? You go out there and perform at training and do everything you need to do, but it doesn’t really matter, managers still might have certain players that they want to play and it's hard to accept that.
"That's why I left Liverpool for Leeds. I felt for me and my game, as much as I love Liverpool, I needed to play football. I felt I was forced out of the club by not playing but I needed to go and play for my own sanity."
Despite backing Ronaldo in the dispute, Fowler did have reservations about whether he is the long-term answer for United. He added: "The question remains with Ronaldo, I think he could pick any club in the world to go and play at.
“We need to remember he isn’t the player he used to be, he is still a good player, we all know that. He is still a handful and the way he looks after himself is up there with the better players who have ever lived.”
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