Ronaldo has two players rubbing salt into his Man Utd wounds

Erik ten Hag to 'deal with' Cristiano Ronaldo after early exit down tunnel

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Cristiano Ronaldo is out in the cold at Manchester United. Whereas Sir Alex Ferguson, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick have all indulged him at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag is in no mood to bow down to his superstar status. And with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial ahead of him in the pecking order these days, it’s hard to see any way back for the forward…

Ronaldo’s return to United in last summer’s transfer window promised so much.

Here was their prodigal son coming home to lift them out of the doldrums, to spearhead a new era of success at Old Trafford and to bring the glory days back.

When Ronaldo scored twice on his second debut in a 4-1 win over Newcastle, it looked like the stars had aligned. After 12 years of waiting, his Hollywood homecoming had finally happened.

United fell apart last term, however, despite Ronaldo plundering 24 goals across all competitions – a remarkable achievement given how poor the team were, as a whole.

But fast-forward to now, and it’s hard to see a way back for him at Old Trafford.

Wednesday night was a good one for United. Tottenham were ruthlessly put to the sword under the home lights, with goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes propelling Ten Hag’s side to victory.

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But Ronaldo, with minutes left on the clock, snubbed an order to go on and stormed down the tunnel in anger instead.

Since then, Ten Hag has confirmed he’s come down hard on the veteran. Speaking at a press conference ahead of his side’s clash with Chelsea, he said: “I am the manager, I am responsible for the culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them.

“In the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that.

“After Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable but not just him, everyone. This is the second time, there are consequences.

“We miss him tomorrow. It’s a miss for the squad but it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important.”

He added: “It [being out of the squad and training with the Under-21s] will have a (time for) reflection for him, but also for everyone else, I said at the start of the season, next time there have to be consequences otherwise when you are living together and playing together, football is a team sport and you have to fulfil certain standards.

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“And I have to control it.”

Even if Ronaldo were to apologise and repent, however, there’s no chance of him getting into the United side at present.

They’re better without him. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but the stats don’t lie.

Ronaldo has started just two Premier League games this term, against Brentford and Newcastle, and his side have failed to win either.

They lost another against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, too, with the 37-year-old looking flat as his side slipped to defeat.

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And, unfortunately for him, both Rashford and Martial are superior options at the current moment in time.

Many wrote Rashford off last season, with the England international scoring just twice as Solskjaer and Rangnick toiled in the dugout.

But he’s already matched that figure and looks rejuvenated playing down the middle, even if there’s a sense he could be even better out wide.

Rashford was a huge threat against Tottenham, with his speed causing the visitors all kinds of problems. Had it not been for Hugo Lloris, he could have had a hat-trick.

Louis van Gaal deployed the 24-year-old as a central striker when he was in charge and Ten Hag, his compatriot, appears to feel that’s where the England international can be at his best.

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And though injuries have hampered Martial this term, there’s a feeling the wait for the France international to be fully fit will be worth it.

The 26-year-old has scored three goals from just four appearances this term and, during pre-season, was one of Ten Hag’s best players as they caught the eye.

Ronaldo feels he deserves to start matches because he’s scored over 700 club goals, won four Champions League titles and claimed five Ballon d’Ors.

But he’s yesterday’s man. Rashford and Martial are United’s present and future.

Therefore, the stars are aligned no more.

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