Erik ten Hag rejects suggestion Cristiano Ronaldo is unhappy at Man United | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag has denied reports suggesting Cristiano Ronaldo is unhappy at Manchester United after the forward saw an attempt to seal a move away from the club fail.

The 37-year-old’s future was one of the main talking points over the summer and it looked like his days at Old Trafford were numbered but he ended up staying.

This season, Ronaldo has started just one game in the Premier League – the embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August. Since then, his only other appearances from the start have been in the Europa League.

Ronaldo was comfortably United’s top goalscorer last season, ending the campaign with 24 goals despite United finishing on less points than ever in a Premier League campaign.

Despite his efforts last term, he has almost immediately become a permanent fixture on the bench under Ten Hag. The latest indication that he is unlikely to reinstate Ronaldo into his plans came last weekend when he was an unused substitute against Manchester City.

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Speaking ahead of this week’s must-win Europa League game against Omonia, Ten Hag rejected any idea that Ronaldo is unhappy at United.

“I can’t see that relation, that he [Ronaldo] is not coming on when we are 4-0 down, I did not bring him on out of respect,” Ten Hag said on his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, according to Manchester World.

“I don’t see him as unhappy. He is happy, training well and enjoying [being here].”

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Ten Hag does not feel like he gets enough out of Ronaldo on the pitch and thus, he prefers more energetic figures such as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Martial was impressive during pre-season but has had this season disrupted by two separate injuries. His cameo against Manchester City was, however, impressive.

Martial’s return to fitness could further dent Ronaldo’s hopes of returning to the side but it remains to be seen whether the Frenchman can keep fit.