It’s official: Man Utd are better off without Cristiano Ronaldo
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United are better off without Cristiano Ronaldo. It is incredible it has come to this, but there can be little doubt it is a fact.
Erik ten Hag’s side played out their best performance of the season on Wednesday as they overwhelmed Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford with a performance the scoreline did scant credit to.
Second-half goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils three points that have heaved them to within a point of the top four.
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Ronaldo, meanwhile, spent the duration of the match on the bench. At least, all but the last five minutes, at which point he elected to march back to the dressing room to ensure that the spotlight would be on him after the game and not on one of Man Utd’s best performances in recent months.
There was still a chance he might have been needed, too. Ten Hag had used only three replacements and two substitution windows, so had there been an injury or a need for an unplanned change in attack, Ronaldo might have been called had he not been showering.
Ronaldo in clear Ten Hag dig
This was, of course, a calculated decision on the player’s part. The 37-year-old is experienced enough to know what sort of message his premature departure sent, particularly as he has previous with Ten Hag. During a pre-season match with Villarreal, he departed midway through the second half along with at least one other team-mate. While Man Utd tried to cover up his behaviour, the Dutchman came out and gave him a public rebuke.
It is now clear that Ronaldo at Man Utd is simply toxic for everyone involved.
United showed on Wednesday they are a better side when he is not playing. In particular, Bruno Fernandes appears to thrive when his compatriot is bench, and against Spurs he seemed to recapture his peak form, which was not evident last season, when Ronaldo was a regular.
Ronaldo storms off down the tunnel with Man Utd winning 2-0 😳 pic.twitter.com/PXvyfCUBRV
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) October 20, 2022
For Ronaldo, this situation is no good either. A return of two goals nearly three months into the season is embarrassing for one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, while he faces the prospect of carrying Portugal’s hopes at the World Cup wholly lacking in match sharpness. He feels he still has something to offer at the top level, but that will not be achieved at Old Trafford.
What’s best for everyone is that Ronaldo and Man Utd go their separate ways in January, although quite how that will be achieved is unclear. What is evident, though, is that their current relationship is doing no-one any good.
