Erik ten Hag has been praised for his “brilliant” handling of Cristiano Ronaldo which “sends a message” to other Manchester United players.
Former England striker and talkSPORT host Carlton Cole has been impressed with how the Premier League newcomer has handled the removal of the all-time great from his roster.
Five-time Champions League winner Ronaldo missed United’s pre-season due to “family issues” and had a summer of intense transfer speculation.
After reports his agent held talks with Bayern Munich and Chelsea in an attempt to secure a return to Europe’s top competition, the 37-year-old ended up staying at Old Trafford and returned in time to a loss to Brighton on the opening day.
He was then lined up for a humiliating 4-0 loss to Brentford, but since being benched United have racked up a four-game winning streak, confirming Ten Hag’s early work.
“The way he dealt with Ronaldo’s situation was excellent,” Cole said.
“It sends a great message to other guys to say ‘listen if you want to be on my team you have to play by the rules’.
“You can’t just come here doing your best, we know you are Ronaldo, we know you have a big name.
“It’s not just on Ronaldo by the way, but if you’re aiming for the top dog and setting an example and trying to lead by example, you’re going to have to go for Ronaldo.
“He’s the main guy, he didn’t come to train for the whole pre-season, it didn’t show a connection, so bench him.
“It’s been great, that’s what you want, to be treated fairly, imagine if one of those other players didn’t show up for pre-season, whatever the circumstances, you wouldn’t be playing.
“Ronaldo also had to bide his time, he’ll try to come in and fight for his place and there was a hoo-ha about him leaving but that didn’t happen so he has to fight for his place with the The World Cup is approaching.”
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