Following “positive” discussions, both Manchester United head coach Erik Ten’ Hag and veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo are allegedly ready to move past the previous week.
Ronaldo was left off the team for Saturday’s match against Chelsea because of his refusal to play as a late substitute in last week’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, the 37-year-old has been back in training with the 20-time English champions this week, and it appears like he could make his comeback on Thursday when they play Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League.
Ronaldo “was extremely apologetic” for his conduct, but Erik Ten’ Hag also “understood the player wanted to be involved more,” according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
According to the journalist, all parties are eager to move forward after “positive” discussions, with Ten Hag continuing to see the forward as an essential component of his plans for the balance of the campaign.
“We know how complicated things got for Cristiano Ronaldo last week. He left Old Trafford early in the Tottenham game, so Erik ten Hag decided he had to be dropped. He decided together with the board, and Ronaldo was left out of Ten Hag’s squad for the Chelsea game,” Romano wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.
“Cristiano understood it was not the best way to act. It’s important to mention he’s now back in contention for the first-team, we will see him get an opportunity again. He’s 100% available. But what happened with his talks with Ten Hag?
“I’m told they have been in constant, direct contact, and it was positive. Ronaldo was really sorry, but also Ten Hag understood the player wanted to be involved more. They spoke about it, they had multiple conversations, and they decided to shake hands and now Ronaldo is back in the United first-team.
“We will now see if Jorge Mendes will continue to try to find a club for Ronaldo in January, but we know it won’t be easy to get such a big deal done in the middle of the season.
“United would also have to find a new striker, and again it’s not easy to find top players in January. Overall, I’m told that all the people in Manchester United think that Ten Hag handled this incident very well, board included.”
This season, Ronaldo has struggled to perform at his peak level for the Red Devils, registering just two goals and one assist in 12 games across all competitions.
The forward’s Old Trafford contract is set to end in the summer of 2019, and there have been rumors that he would be allowed to move for free at the beginning of 2023.
Sporting Lisbon has been strongly associated with their former player, but Ruben Amorim, the head coach of the Portuguese team, has ruled out a transfer.
However, a recent report claimed that Ronaldo would not be willing to consider leaving European football at this point in his career. The MLS and Saudi Arabia are also thought to be interested.
Before the season ends for the World Cup, Man United still has six games left to play. The team is getting ready to take on Sheriff, West Ham United, Real Sociedad, Aston Villa twice, and Fulham.
