Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo are both reportedly ready to move past the previous week after “positive” talks.
Ronaldo was left off the squad for Saturday’s game against Chelsea after refusing to take the field as a late substitute against Tottenham Hotspur last Wednesday.
The 37-year-old has returned to training with the 20-time English champions this week, and he is expected to make his comeback against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on Thursday.
As per Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo “was really sorry” for his behavior, but Ten Hag “understood the player wanted to be involved more”.
According to the journalist, after “positive” discussions, both are eager to move forward, with Ten Hag still regarding the forward as a key part of his plans for the rest of the season.
Ten Hag And Ronaldo Discussions
We know how complicated things got for Cristiano Ronaldo last week. He left Old Trafford early in the Tottenham game, so Erik ten Hag decided he had to be dropped. He decided together with the board, and Ronaldo was left out of Ten Hag’s squad for the Chelsea game,” Romano wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.
“Cristiano understood it was not the best way to act. It’s important to mention he’s now back in contention for the first-team, we will see him get an opportunity again. He’s 100% available. But what happened with his talks with Ten Hag?
“I’m told they have been in constant, direct contact, and it was positive. Ronaldo was really sorry, but also Ten Hag understood the player wanted to be involved more. They spoke about it, they had multiple conversations, and they decided to shake hands and now Ronaldo is back in the United first-team.
“We will now see if Jorge Mendes will continue to try to find a club for Ronaldo in January, but we know it won’t be easy to get such a big deal done in the middle of the season.
“United would also have to find a new striker, and again it’s not easy to find top players in January. Overall, I’m told that all the people in Manchester United think that Ten Hag handled this incident very well, board included.”
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Ronaldo has been unable to find his best form for the Red Devils this season, registering only two goals and one assist in 12 games across all competitions.
The forward’s contract at Old Trafford expires next summer, and there have been reports that he could go on a free transfer at the start of 2023.
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