How Erik ten Hag 'brutally' axed Cristiano Ronaldo for Liverpool clash
By 90min Staff
Erik ten Hag 'brutally' informed Cristiano Ronaldo that he would not be starting in Monday's win over Liverpool in a two-hour meeting in front of the entire Manchester United squad.
Ronaldo missed most of United's pre-season preparations to deal with a personal problem, though he has also been trying to engineer a move away from the club in search of Champions League football.
He started on the bench in their Premier League opener with Brighton before coming on as a substitute, but was unable to prevent them from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. The 37-year-old was recalled to the starting lineup against Brentford the following week but put in a disappointing performance in a 4-0 thrashing.
With pressure mounting so soon into his tenure, The Sun report that Ten Hag called his players together last Thursday to help clear the air, with everyone given an opportunity to voice their concerns.
Before giving the players the floor, Ten Hag began by saying he wanted everyone to be united in their efforts, and he would not let their early season performances damage his reputation.
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The Dutchman informed Ronaldo - who did not speak over the two hours - and club captain Harry Maguire that they would be dropped against Liverpool.
Ten Hag is understood to have become increasingly irate at Ronaldo's conduct, with the Portugal forward recently revealing that he would conduct an interview in a few weeks to reveal his side of this summer's saga.
Removing Ronaldo from the starting XI proved to be a masterstroke, with Marcus Rashford and later Anthony Martial leading the line against Liverpool with hunger and energy.
However, Martial will not be available for United's next game - a trip to Southampton on Saturday lunchtime - due to an Achilles problem.