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Football

15th Aug 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo ‘eats alone in canteen and questions Ten Hag’s high-press tactics’

Simon Lloyd

Going well

Cristiano Ronaldo, to the surprise of literally nobody, doesn’t appear to be too pleased about being made to stay at Manchester United for another season.

Not even a year on from sealing his return to Old Trafford, Ronaldo made it known over the summer that he wanted to leave again after United finished sixth and missed out on Champions League qualification.

Unfortunately for Ronaldo, United have insisted he’s going nowhere – though the situation might have changed had any club in the Champions League this year actually wanted to buy him.

Ronaldo missed United’s preseason tour of Asia and Australia, but played a part in United’s preseason friendly against Rayo Vallecano (leaving at half-time).

Following an injury to the in-form Anthony Martial, the 37-year-old has since featured in the second half of United’s opening day defeat to Brighton before starting the catastrophic loss to Brentford on Saturday, where he cut an understandably frustrated figure.

According to The Athletic, his reintegration to United’s squad hasn’t gone as smoothly as Erik ten Hag would have hoped, either, with a report claiming there have been occasions where he has eaten his lunch alone in the canteen of United’s training facility.

The report also claims he has appeared exasperated in training, ‘flapping his arms about’ and ‘attempting to argue’ with Ten Hag’s high-press approach.

United sit bottom of the Premier League after two games, with supporters in the away end at the Gtech Community Stadium venting their anger at those players who acknowledged them after full-time on Saturday.

As well as turning their ire on the players, the disastrous start to the season has also seen criticism of the Glazer family intensify, with supporters continuing the protests seen at the end of last season.

United’s next game takes place next Monday, when they host Liverpool at Old Trafford.

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