Where Ronaldo doesn’t want to play under Ten Hag

Karan Tejwani

• 4 May 2022 08:20 BST
• 3 min read

Following their 3-0 win over Brentford, Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick gave some advice to incoming boss Erik ten Hag regarding Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese forward scored from the penalty spot, which was his 24th goal of the season, and it prompted his manager to reveal that Ronaldo does not want to be deployed as a centre-forward.

There has been plenty of debate over Ten Hag’s plans for Ronaldo next season, and it will be one of the biggest issues to solve next season when the Dutch manager arrives.

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What has Ralf Rangnick said about Cristiano Ronaldo's position?

When asked about what position Ronaldo would be playing next season, Rangnick said it was up to Ten Hag to decide.

"This is a question you have to ask Erik when he is here and it is also important how Cristiano sees himself and his position,” Rangnick said after the game.

“Cristiano is not a central striker, he also does not want to play in that position. In order to not play central, you have to play with two strikers as we did in the last 15 minutes or in my first game against Crystal Palace or the second one against Norwich, and even in the second-half against Newcastle.”

Rangnick continued: "But if you look at international football, there are not many top teams who play with two strikers.

“Most of the international top teams either play with three strikers or a false nine, so for me it’s not a question of position, it’s a question of what kind of quality players Manchester United have in the future."

Ten Hag will join Manchester United in the summer from Ajax and will have a major rebuilding job in the summer with regards to squad profiles, as the club look to make a return to challenging at the top of the Premier League.

Over the last few weeks, many have believed that Ronaldo won’t be in United’s plans for next season, or that he will have a reduced role, and how he will be used will be a major point of debate for the Dutch coach.