Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has emphasized that he is eager to put Cristiano Ronaldo’s most recent infraction of team rules behind him and welcome the Portugal striker back into his lineup.
After refusing to come off the bench in the recent 2-0 victory over Tottenham and leaving Old Trafford early, Ronaldo has been benched for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. He later admitted that this action was the result of him being caught up in “the heat of the moment.”
Ten Hag insisted he has no problem with the striker and wants to keep him around for the rest of the season if he learns his lesson from this most recent incident despite calls for Ronaldo to be immediately released from the club.
“It’s for this game, and then we continue,” Ten Hag said when asked if Ronaldo’s suspension could go on for longer. “I’m open for that and for me that is a strike.
“What we stay in the statement is Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I count on him for the rest of the season. We want to fulfil our ambitions.”
When asked if he wanted and expected Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford for the duration of the season, Ten Hag simply said: “Both.”
“I don’t think so, no. That is not my purpose,” he added. “What I said, I don’t want to miss him. I want him to be in the squad, I want him to get in form for every game, because he has an impact.
“The expectations at Man Utd are really high. The ambitions are really high. Our fans and our stakeholders expect results, so then you have to act along certain standards. And you have to work every day along it. Cristiano is not in the squad, but he is training to keep himself fit to get ready for the next game coming up after Chelsea.”
