'Too late' for Ten Hag to justify Ronaldo treatment at Man Utd
FT Desk
- 18 Oct 2022 19:42 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo's sister Elma Aveiro has hit out at Erik ten Hag after the Manchester United manager subbed the Portuguese off in Sunday's goalless draw with Newcastle.
Ronaldo was handed what has become a rare start under Ten Hag at Old Trafford, and had the ball in the net a few minutes into the second half after nicking the ball off Nick Pope after Fabian Schar seemed to have restarted play, but it was ruled out.
Ronaldo then made way for Marcus Rashford - who has been preferred to the Portuguese in attack for much of the season so far - on 72 minutes, and it was this that Aveiro took exception to.
Aveiro, who is 12 years Ronaldo's senior, screenshotted a news story titled: "Erik Ten Hag's justification for substituting Cristiano Ronaldo," adding the following caption: "It's too late" alongside three sick face emojis.
Ronaldo's relationship with Ten Hag has been fraught since the Dutchman succeeded Ralf Rangnick in the Red Devils' hotseat in May. After his first Premier League start this term - a 4-0 loss at Brentford - Ronaldo stormed off the pitch at full-time, ignoring his manager.
Ten Hag: 'Respect for his career'
When Ten Hag left Ronaldo out for the recent 6-3 loss to Manchester City, the Dutchman claimed it was "out of respect for his big career" - something Ronaldo believed no more than anybody else watching events unfold.
It is not the first time one of Ronaldo's sister's has taken to social media to speak out in defence of a player who, whilst perhaps on the wane, remains an all-time great of the sport.
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Katia Aveiro, three years younger than Elma and nine years older than Ronaldo, rushed to his defence after an abject display for Portugal in a 1-0 loss to Spain in the UEFA Nations League last month.
"He has his family and those who love him by his side," she posted on Instagtram. "They will always be by his side, no matter what. But the current times don't surprise me at all. The Portuguese spit on the plate they eat [from], it has always been that way."
