At United, Erik ten Hag has put a stop to the power player era.
It was a planned power move designed to hurt Manchester United. Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell, however, has instead brought the team and its supporters together in support of the manager at his own expense.
Although Ronaldo will still get what he wants—a transfer away from Manchester United next year—he has very well established himself as the villain in this situation rather than the victim.
The Portuguese forward had some legitimate complaints about the club’s current ownership situation, but his choice of interview venue and timing both called into question the substance of what was said.
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Most importantly, though, was how outrageously out of place his condemnation of Ten Hag was. The Dutchman does not share Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s commitment to the player, and if he made a mistake, it was in first tolerating him for far too long.
When given the chance at the beginning of the summer, Ten Hag should have let the 37-year-old go. Instead, he chose to play it safe by trying to keep the important member of the locker room onside—a gesture of kindness that the forward quickly undid.
Although the manager’s decision to try to keep Ronaldo at the club was the right one, it was taken with naivete.
Since the beginning of the season, he has more fully embraced his role and is now taking the risky decisions that he first refrained from doing.
The Portugal international claims Ten Hag handled him harshly and disrespectfully after he was ejected from the team, conveniently omitting the fact that he requested to leave.
Ronaldo also downplays the fact that he departed the sole pre-match he participated in at halftime without the Dutch manager’s consent and that he refused to play as a substitute against Tottenham, departing Old Trafford once more before the game was over.
Additionally, he criticized how the team handled his preseason absence during the summer. United refutes those assertions. According to sources, Ronaldo’s camp was appreciative of how the team, in particular club CEO Richard Arnold, handled the situation at the time, and Ten Hag publicly reaffirmed that the forward remained a crucial component of his plans.
Ironically, getting rid of Ronaldo is currently the most simple decision that can be made as Ten Hag is no longer choosing the simple route. The forward’s standing at the team has only worsened as a result of this week, and many of those who formerly felt sympathetic toward him have now lost that sympathy.
Ronaldo’s fate has been left up to the manager, another sign of United’s confidence in them. When the Portuguese forward is finally let go, that power will increase even more as there won’t be a significant dressing room voice speaking out against him.
Ronaldo completely misjudged the situation in his attempt to discredit the manager, ruining not only his legendary status at the club but also uniting the United fans behind Ten Hag.
The need for change is widely acknowledged, but most people also understand that it will take time.
This season, United has made steady improvement under Ten Hag, but if they lack the patience to match that progress, they will never stand a chance of realizing their full potential.
Ronaldo has already played his final game for United, and his departure should further further these goals.