‘I’m a bit disappointed in him’: Gary Neville slams Cristiano Ronaldo for giving new boss Erik ten Hag a ‘messy’ start to life at Manchester United… and he urges the Portuguese superstar to show himself and end the “inedible” exit saga
- Gary Neville has admitted he is ‘disappointed’ with Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour
- The troubled Man United star has been linked with a move all summer
- United legend Neville questioned why Ronaldo hasn’t worked things out yet
- He said the situation at Old Trafford was “chaotic” amid ongoing uncertainty.
Gary Neville has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to take control of his future as he admitted the striker’s behavior this summer was “disappointing” amid ongoing uncertainty about his future at Manchester United.
The Portuguese superstar has told the club he wants to leave Old Trafford to pursue trophies and Champions League football, but a departure is still pending and no concrete offers have been forthcoming.
Tensions increased further last week when the striker was substituted during a 1-1 draw in a friendly against Rayo Vallecano and left the stadium before full-time – with manager Erik ten Hag calling the episode “unacceptable”.
Gary Neville (right) admits he’s ‘disappointed’ with Cristiano Ronaldo’s (left) behavior this summer
Manager Erik ten Hag had to face most questions about Ronaldo amid the uncertainty
The Dutchman still faces a major dilemma over whether to start him in Sunday’s pre-season opener against Brighton due to his lack of match fitness, and United legend Neville believes the entire saga could have spread if the player took part in the It would have gone public and given more clarity on the situation.
After Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Friday night, Neville took aim at Ronaldo and told Sky Sports: “I’m a bit disappointed in him. Because he lets the manager go to those press conferences.
“He’s in a good age, he was one of the best players in the world. Couldn’t he do the interview?
“On Sunday we’re going to ask about him after the game, couldn’t he come out and talk to us instead of getting other people to say it?”
The Portuguese striker is eyeing a departure but no formal offers have been received yet
In fact, Ten Hag has had to do much of the firefighting around Ronaldo in a situation that has so far dominated much of United’s preseason.
This week he was forced to calm things down when he was questioned about the player’s decision to leave the Rayo test match early. He showed his frustration at the uncertainty as he changed tactics, saying it was “unfair” to target Ronaldo when some players left too.
“Now I have to point out that those who left… there were a lot of players who left, but Cristiano is in the spotlight and that’s not right,” Ten Hag said.
“So do your research and find that there are many players left. That is not right or acceptable.
“I don’t understand what the relationship is. He was part of it. There were many players.’
Asked if he spoke to Ronaldo and the other players, Ten Hag said: “You mention it, correct them and then move on. We’ve said enough about that. I said it’s not right.’
Neville believes Ronaldo created a ‘chaotic’ situation at Old Trafford by remaining silent
Reflecting on what had become a “chaotic” situation at Old Trafford, Neville urged the club’s hierarchy to resolve the matter one way or another so the team could focus on the season ahead.
“I think we all know that if a Champions League club comes from him, he will leave. But at this point, that hasn’t happened yet. It feels a bit awkward,” he added.
“It’s chaotic for him, it’s chaotic for the club. We want him to stay, we just don’t want these sagas to drag on. As United fans, we don’t want this to drag on for another three weeks.
“I think it’s definitely a tougher job than it already was for ten Hag with the Ronaldo situation and the de Jong situation. if [Ronaldo] is fit, he starts.’
Anthony Martial is unavailable for the first game against Brighton after suffering a hamstring injury against Atletico Madrid in Oslo. So Ten Hag have a real problem with who will lead the line for their new side if they want to lead a new era at the club.
