Ten Hag facing Ronaldo problem all over again after Liverpool crushing

Robin Bairner

• 6 Mar 2023 09:19 GMT
• 4 min read

Erik ten Hag has silenced his critics since taking the Manchester United manager’s job last summer, answering every question that has been asked of him.

Following Ten Hag's arrival from Ajax, Man Utd have been, if not revolutionised, at least turned in the right direction after years of abject misery.

Prior to Sunday’s 7-0 Premier League loss against Liverpool, United were dreaming of winning four trophies, having captured the Carabao Cup the previous weekend thanks to a comfortable win over Newcastle.

MORE: Chelsea and Man Utd set for €80m battle over six-goal striker

Key to Ten Hag’s success has been installing a change in attitude around Man Utd.

Never was this more apparent than his handling of Cristiano Ronaldo. A five-time Ballon d’Or winner he may have been, but the veteran forward did not fit the bill as a Ten Hag player and was dropped to the bench and told to adapt to his new status.

Ronaldo could not, and after a prolonged strop from the Portuguese legend, he was ultimately released by mutual consent in what was the low point of a long and illustrious career.

MORE: Roy Keane slams ‘circus’ Man Utd after Liverpool hit seven

Cristiano was unable to reach the minimum standards Ten Hag had asked of him and was jettisoned.

To that end, did we witness the beginning of the end of Bruno Fernandes as a Manchester United centrepiece on Sunday?

Bruno Fernandes' long-term future in doubt

The 28-year-old has never been regarded as the best player to have in a difficult situation, with the sight of his histrionics one that Man Utd fans have grown frustratingly used to over the years, but his performance at Anfield was a new nadir.

As the match got away from Ten Hag’s team, the effort seeped out of Bruno until he was little more than an angry bundle wandering aimlessly around the pitch, arms flapping in a frustrated style.

“I think some of his behaviour in the second half has been an absolute disgrace,” Gary Neville seethed to Sky Sports during the post-mortem of one of Man Utd’s worst-ever defeats.

Ten Hag seemed to agree when he labelled the performance “unprofessional”, but now comes the question of how the situation is handled with regards Fernandes, who is the club’s on-field captain as Harry Maguire watches helplessly on from the bench.

In the medium term, Fernandes’ status in this Man Utd team will not be questioned, but an immediate reaction will be expected from the former Sporting CP and Fiorentina star. He is safe because there are other priorities that need more urgently addressing, but projecting ahead to the future, perhaps into 2024, the manager will have to decide whether Bruno is the type of character that he wants leading his squad.

Ten Hag is a notorious disciplinarian who wants the highest standards in attitude from his players. Fernandes did not give him that on Sunday, and that will have been well noted.