Bruno Fernandes made sure to praise the whole of Manchester United's squad after Monday's win against Liverpool. Fernandes said the players who didn't make the starting XI had 'pushed' the players who did make the line up in training at Carrington.
Cristiano Ronaldo was surprisingly one of those players. Erik ten Hag named Ronaldo on the bench earlier this week and that was a brave decision, especially when considering United needed to avoid defeat at Old Trafford after humiliating performances against Brighton and Brentford. Ronaldo is a colossus in the dressing room and Ten Hag wasn't afraid to drop him to the bench.
Ronaldo has huge influence in the dressing room and he is idolised by the youngsters in the squad, which means it was important that did not express his disappointment at being named on the bench in an unprofessional manner. Ten Hag needed Ronaldo to lead by example and Fernandes' comments suggested he trained in exemplary fashion, if that was ever something to doubt.
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Although dropping Ronaldo was quite the statement in a game of such magnitude, the meticulous Ten Hag would argue it was a calculated gamble. That gamble obviously was attached with great risk, but Ten Hag has now emerged holding all of the aces.
Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga were picked to start in attack and that front three looked dangerous from the first whistle. Elanga should have scored within 10 minutes and his premature run to the corner suggested he thought he did.
Sancho made no mistake with a wonderfully composed finish five minutes later and it was the least that United deserved. They started the game with intent, energy and desire, which unsettled Liverpool, and they were value for their advantage.
There was a fluidity about the attack which had been absent against Brighton and Brentford. United looked dynamic and capable of scoring whenever on the counter-attack. Ronaldo might have begun to understand why he was benched as he watched.
Ronaldo, 37, is football's greatest ever goalscorer and he is the closest guarantee of finding the back of the net you can find, but other areas of his game have naturally weakened in the winter of his career and he can't press like Ten Hag demands from his strikers.
The reality is that United couldn't have performed like they did against Liverpool with Ronaldo. Anthony Martial was substituted on at half-time and there was no disruption to the style of play, which wouldn't have been the case if Ten Hag had brought on Ronaldo.
Martial was an upgrade on Elanga, who he replaced at the interval, and he expertly combined with Rashford to score the goal that was the matchwinner. Ronaldo was eventually substituted in the 86th minute but his appearance was merely a cameo.
Ronaldo outlined it was his desire to leave the club this summer and it's hard to imagine the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will accept a reduced role, but Ten Hag will continue to leave him on the bench if the front three can perform as they did against Liverpool.
Although United play Southampton on Saturday and they will ask different questions than Liverpool posed, it seems Ten Hag could start the three players that excelled in attack - Sancho, Rashford and Martial - in the second half on Monday night.
It will be a brave decision from Ten Hag to drop Ronaldo in consecutive matches and it will be up to Sancho, Rashford and Martial to ensure the spotlight does not turn on the Dutchman, which it inevitably will if United lose and Ronaldo does not start.
The faith that Ten Hag is placing in those players has added motivation for those players to perform. Some of the players in the dressing room have felt marginalised by Ronaldo's presence and Ten Hag is giving them a chance to prove they can win without him.
Ronaldo was instrumental last season and he will continue to be a key player, but his potential benching for consecutive games at the start of this season might be getting the best out of Sancho, Rashford and Martial, who clearly compliment each other well.
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