Cristiano Ronaldo’s storied career at Manchester United was tarnished late last year when he fell out with current Red Devils manager Erik Ten Hag, but some saw this coming.
Eric ten Hag’s time at Manchester United alongside Cristiano Ronaldo always seemed doomed, according to former Red Devil Edinson Cavani.
The former Manchester United striker has claimed he fears his time at Old Trafford will be called into question once Ronaldo arrives, as he believes every manager feels the need to play against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, regardless of form. Ten Hag, by contrast, axed the forward midway through his first season in the dugout.
In one of Ten Hague’s defining periods at United so far, he locked horns with Ronaldo following a dressing room riot and an explosive tell-all interview. He won and the club ended his contract midway through the season.
Cavani’s comments are interesting to read now, with the former Manchester United ace recalling his reaction to Ronaldo’s arrival last May: “I’ve learned a bit about the football world these days and the first thing I did was make a phone call To my brother (Walter) Fernando Guglielmone, who is also his agent, said: “Fernando, if this had happened a week ago, I would have asked you to find me another club. “
“But it’s not because I don’t want to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. No. Because I had the opportunity to know him and he is a great professional who has his goals, which is perfect for an athlete . But as far as I know, after many years of football, this is the situation now. That’s why I was talking to my brother.
“It’s more about understanding the situation. It’s not that I can’t play my part in Manchester, but because there are a lot of things in football today that are different to others, to what they were a few years ago. As things have happened so suddenly, I I didn’t feel anything. I thought: We’re going to play ball and do the best we can.”
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Cavani left before playing under Ten Hag, but he did play alongside Ronaldo and was even forced to change his shirt number to suit the football icon.
As the record now shows, Ten Hag did not abide by Cavani’s theory and often did not start Ronaldo during the half-season they spent together. In fact, the former Real Madrid ace has only completed 90 minutes three times under the Dutchman.
The fact that Ten Hag does not subscribe to the Cavani school of thought proves that his relationship with Ronaldo was doomed from the start. The clash with Ronaldo would not be Ten Hag’s last, with the Manchester United boss seeing his relationship with Sancho deteriorate at the start of the season.
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