Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo ‘pushed back in training’ before being demoted vs Liverpool

ten Hag remains coy on Ronaldo's Man Utd future

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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo had been ‘pushing back’ in training prior to the club’s 2-1 win over Liverpool, according to reports. The Portugal international was demoted to the bench for the match at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag going with a younger front three instead. And the Red Devils’ positive performance means it’s unclear if the 37-year-old will be able to battle his way back into contention.

Ronaldo, like many of his United team-mates, endured a horrendous afternoon as the cub were battered 4-0 by Brentford last weekend.

But with the Portugal international on the bench, the Red Devils bounced back to put Liverpool to the sword with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford netting in a 2-1 win.

Ronaldo was actually snubbed twice on the night. First, when Ten Hag decide to leave him out of his starting XI by picking Anthony Elanga in his place.

And Ten Hag preferred to introduce Anthony Martial at half-time, instead of the veteran, with Ronaldo only making it onto the pitch for the final five minutes.

Now, according to The Athletic, Ronaldo had been ‘pushing back against pressing drills in training’ ahead of the match.

Ten Hag wants to play a high-octane, fast-flowing style after being named as the club’s replacement for Ralf Rangnick.

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And though Ronaldo remains as prolific as ever in front of goal, the Portugal international doesn’t appear best-suited to his manager’s system.

With a younger front three consisting of Rashford, Sancho and Anthony Elanga, United looked vibrant right from the very start against Liverpool.

It was certainly a huge transformation from the Brentford debacle, with Ten Hag naming the club’s youngest line-up in 15 months as he finally secured all three points.

And, now, it’ll be fascinating to see what happens with Ronaldo.

The veteran is, on his day, still one of the best players in world football. His 24 goals across all competitions last season is a testament to that.

But the Red Devils’ win against Liverpool suggests United would be better off planning for the future, rather than looking back to the past.

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Amid Ronaldo’s demotion, it’s also worth reinforcing that the veteran still wants to leave the club for a team who can offer him Champions League football.

Borussia Dortmund have been the latest superpower linked, though they’ve since downplayed their interest.

And Bruno Fernandes, speaking after United put Liverpool to the sword, has claimed he knows a ‘thing or two’ about his team-mate’s situation.

“There is a lot of speculation, but there is no one better than Cristiano to talk about it,” Fernandes told Eleven Sports.

“I may know a thing or two, but I won’t be the one to say it.

“Cristiano is calm, he worked well this week, he did his work as he has been doing, he will continue to do so.

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“For now he is a United player, I don’t know about his future, if he will leave or if he will not leave. As he said, he will speak soon and they will have time to hear his words and what he has to say.

“I don’t think anyone has shown so far that there was no interest in Cristiano not staying.

“He can continue at a high level and give us a lot of goals but it’s his decision. We have to respect what he wants to do, whatever he wants to do.

“If he’s going to stay, we’ll be happy about it, if he’s going to leave because he thinks it’s best for him, I’ll be personally happy for him.

“The most important thing is that he’s okay, at the highest level and make our country proud.”

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Ten Hag, meanwhile, opened up on his decision to drop Ronaldo before a ball against Liverpool was kicked.

“We know Liverpool are a really good team and you need to press them,” he said.

“You have to do that out of a block and need energy, that is why we went with Rashford, Sancho and Elanga.”

Ronaldo will be hoping to be involved when United lock horns with Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday (12.30pm).

They drew 1-1 in the same fixture last term, with Mason Greenwood cancelling out an own goal from Fred. 

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