Cristiano Ronaldo’, a Portuguese striker for Manchester United, reacts before the English Premier League football game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur on October 19, 2022, at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England.
Erik ten Hag will never be able to escape the long shadow that Cristiano Ronaldo’ has cast, no matter what he does to move Manchester United in his first season towards respectability.
In the waning moments of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham, Ronaldo once again demonstrated his contempt for Ten Hag’s authority by exiting the Old Trafford tunnel while the game was still in progress.
The 37-year-old reportedly informed Ten Hag that he did not want to enter as a late substitute before refusing to wait for the final siren.
Ronaldo’s temper tantrum wasn’t his first this season, and the Portuguese striker is obviously frustrated about being in limbo after his failed attempt to engineer a transfer in the offseason.
Ten Hag has finally enforced the law in response to Ronaldo’s actions, and the star, who has scored just twice in 12 matches this season, has been left off the team that will visit Chelsea on Saturday.
Ronaldo’s second stint at United will undoubtedly be ended by a sale in the January transfer window, but until then Ten Hag has to deal with the malcontent’s presence in the background.
Nunez Lifts Liverpool
Nunez’s comeback helps Liverpool
On October 19, 2022, at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England, Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez (L) celebrates with Liverpool’s Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas (R) after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and West Ham United. (Image courtesy of AFP/Nigel Roddis)
Nunez is starting to round into shape just in time for Liverpool, rewarding Klopp’s patience with a goal.
Nunez’s first Premier League game was a red card against Crystal Palace at Anfield in August, and he subsequently lasted five games without scoring, which led to unfavorable parallels to Manchester City’s ruthless scorer Erling Haaland.
However, with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota suffering from injury, Liverpool manager Klopp needed Nunez to start showing why he paid £64 million to sign him from Benfica in the close-season.
The 23-year-old has risen to the occasion, scoring three goals in his last four games to help the Reds to a 1-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday. He now has five goals for the club.
“It is significant. In the most recent games, he has now scored a few times. He arrived 100 percent, which is fine, according to Klopp.
For just the second time this year, Liverpool has won two straight league games. On Saturday, they travel to a struggling Nottingham Forest team with the goal of closing the gap on the top four.
