Erik ten Hag Slams Cristiano Ronaldo For this ‘Unacceptable’ Action During The Friendly Match

Cristiano Ronaldo finally came back to play for Manchester United against Rayo Vallecano in a friendly match at Old Trafford on 31 July 2022. However, Ronaldo failed to score as United drew the match by 1-1. This was the first match for him after the arrival of the new head coach, Erik ten Hag.

But, he played only 45 minutes in that match as ten Hag substituted him. Meanwhile, he was seen leaving the stadium before the final whistle. He also signed autographs for a handful of supporters outside the ground. Now, Erik ten Hag termed that action ‘Unacceptable’ during an interaction through Viaplay.       

“I certainly don’t condone this. This is not acceptable. For everyone.” – Erik ten Hag

Speaking through Viaplay, ten Hag said that this type of action is just unacceptable. He also said that not only Ronaldo, but many other players also left the stadium earlier in that match. He said that as a team and squad, every player needs to stay until the end of a match.

He said: ‘‘There were many more who went home. I certainly don’t condone this. This is not acceptable. For everyone. I told them that it was unacceptable. That we are a team, a squad, and that you should stay until the end.’’ Speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo, strong rumours were there that he wanted to move out of the club with the desire of playing in the Champions League.

As per reports, his agent, Jorge Mendes approached many clubs like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint Germain, and Atletico Madrid. But no clubs showed any interest in the Portuguese superstar. Meanwhile, the club was fully adamant that Ronaldo is not for sale as he will serve one more year of his contract with the club. After missing the majority of United’s pre-season preparations due to family reasons, Ronaldo came back to Manchester before their friendly match against Atletico Madrid. However, he did not play in that match as he got featured in the Rayo Vallecano friendly.