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Cristiano Ronaldo’s association with Manchester United came to an end after he agreed to a mutual termination of his contract after his explosive interview.
Manchester United under Erik Ten Hag (X)
Cristiano Ronaldo made a return to Manchester United in 2021 under Ole Gunner Solskjaer. Ronaldo netted 24 goals during the first season of his second spell at Old Trafford. But his second season under Erik ten Hag did not turn out to be a memorable one.
Ronaldo’s stint at Manchester United came to an end after he gave a bombshell interview to Piers Morgan. Ten Hag handed Ronaldo four Premier League starts during their half-season together.
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has now revealed that Ronaldo’s incapability to press resulted in his falling out of favour.
McCarthy had joined Manchester United as an assistant to former manager Erik ten Hag in 2022. “Erik wanted pressing from the start,” he said, speaking to Ladbrokes, as per Mirror.
“And I think Ronaldo, when he came to United, in his early years at Real Madrid, he was able to do what Erik expected him to do, like high press and then still have enough in the tank to get himself into positions to score. So, Ronaldo was varying his game a lot, but it wasn’t how Erik wanted to play. So he felt that it just couldn’t work. Having Cris in the starting XI wouldn’t work with the way we wanted to play, and that’s why Erik preferred Anthony Martial,” Benni McCarthy added.
While Anthony Martial was initially seen by Manchester United team management as a reliable figure, the trust did not last long. In September last year, Martial moved to AEK Athens on a three-year deal. Ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United’s manager in October 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s association with Manchester United came to an end after he agreed to a mutual termination of his contract after his explosive interview. In that interview, the Portuguese legend had criticised Manchester United and former manager Erik ten Hag. Having left Manchester United, Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al Nassr. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been in spectacular form at Al Nassr. Ronaldo’s contract at Al Nassr is scheduled to come to an end in June.
Al Nassr are currently placed at the third spot in the Saudi Pro League standings. They have so far collected 47 points from 23 games in this season’s Saudi Pro League.
