Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has vowed to deal with the Cristiano Ronaldo incident.
Ronaldo caused a stir when he walked off the Old Trafford tunnel. This was before the final whistle of the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
He left the pitch prematurely seemingly in reaction to being an unused substitute during the Premier League match.
The Dutch boss said he didn’t pay particular attention to the Ronaldo incident, as he was focusing on the game.
“I have seen him [leave the pitch], but I didn’t speak to him after. I will deal with that tomorrow [Thursday]. Today, we’re celebrating this victory and now we have to recover from this Saturday,” Ten Hag told Amazon Prime Video Sport.
He said he looks at the bigger picture and not individual players, according to another story by Manchester Evening News.
“I have to mention, I said 11 players. I’ve to correct myself. It was a performance also from the subs who came on who had a good role. Once again, it was a squad performance,” Ten Hag said.
The former Ajax boss then hinted why he opted to start with Marcus Rashford as the focal point of attack.
Rashford and Bruno Fernandes scored for United.
Ten Hag said he wanted players who can cover each other up when attacking and defending.
“….what we have seen today was 11 players who defend, 11 players who attack there was a lot of dynamic in the attack as well. I am pleased with that but I won’t say I am totally satisfied because good is not good enough, that has to be the standard here,” he added.
Ronaldo’s play is deemed to be falling short in terms of pressing him up the pitch as demanded.
The 37-year-old has struggled to score this season after managing just three across all competitions.
The Portuguese was in the starting line up in the goalless draw against Newcastle United over the weekend, before he was substituted.
Ronaldo also looked visibly upset as he shook his head after being substituted for Rashford in the Newcastle game.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has since urged Ronaldo to look at the larger picture.
Shearer said Ronaldo must focus on the team instead of individual glory.
“I understand his frustrations of not being able to get on the pitch but when you look at the bigger picture, his team have put on a really good performance tonight,” the newspaper quoted Shearer saying.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar has started two games only this season.
United are in fifth place with 19 points, eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
