Erik ten Hag has spoken out on the Cristiano Ronaldo personnel matter. The new Manchester United coach is planning firmly with the attacker willing to leave.
17 goals short of Lionel Messi. In the eternal Champions League goalscoring list, the PSG striker is in second place. Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, is at the top of the list.
The fact that CR7 will not be able to add to his goal tally of 140 next season and will instead have to start from scratch in the Europa League is apparently an unacceptable performance for the Portuguese.
Not at all for his new coach, rather the reality the 37-year-old is apparently expected to come to terms with. “He is not with us for personal reasons. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season. That’s it,” ten Hag said. “I’m looking forward to working with him. Cristiano is not for sale. We are planning with him. We want to have success together. “
Ronaldo did not travel with United to Thailand for the first part of their pre-season tour, nor did he turn up for the Red Devils’ pre-season training session. Instead, he trained at the Portuguese national team’s headquarters.
Next up, the ManUnited squad heads to Australia. With Ronaldo then? He doesn’t know, ten Hag said, having last spoken to CR7 before the tour: “That’s between Cristiano and me, but I can confirm we had a really good conversation.”
That Ronaldo would like to move, however, is certifiable. His advisers had also enquired at FC Bayern, but it will not come to a switch. “As much as I appreciate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest: A transfer would not fit into our philosophy.”
Ronaldo’s contract still runs until 2023, and Chelsea FC are said to be another interested party. In any case, Thomas Tuchel’s team is in the Champions League …
