Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag, has said Cristiano Ronaldo was not the only player that left Old Trafford when the club faced Rayo Vallecano in a pre-season friendly.
This is as he lamented that the five-time Ballon d’Or Award winner was singled out by the press for leaving the stadium after 45 minutes of play.
Hag spoke in a pre-match press conference ahead of United’s English Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion.
“Now I have to point [out],” Ten Hag began, “there were many players who left, but the spotlight is on Cristiano and that’s not right.
“That is what I said is not correct. So I think, do your research and [report] that many players left.
“He was part of it but, again, it was a lot of players.”
The boss maintained that he was pleased to have Cristiano on board, not least because the in-form Anthony Martial, who led the forward line during the majority of our pre-season fixtures, has an injury.
“How do I feel about starting the season with Ronaldo? I’m really happy,” said Ten Hag.
“I had told you before: we planned with him for the season. We have a top striker and I’m really happy he’s here, he’s in the squad and we stick to the plan.”
