Man Utd players are ‘questioning Ronaldo’s worth’
Ben Jacobs
- 15 Aug 2022 19:30 BST
- 4 min read
Resistance to Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly growing in the Manchester United camp as the star's exit saga drags on, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs writes for FootballTransfers.
It is no secret that the striker wants to leave Old Trafford, and his body language during United's opening two Premier League defeats to Brighton and Brentford is that of a man fed up of his current lot at a struggling club.
The Athletic claims that Ronaldo has taken to eating lunch alone, while he often lashes out over manager Erik ten Hag's methods at training.
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The Dutchman is said to be reconsidering his insistence on keeping the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus ace this summer, though United are yet to receive any formal approaches for his services.
Ronaldo is used to having control over dressing rooms and influence over team-mates. In a very positive way because he's Cristiano Ronaldo, who wouldn't want to learn from him and play with him.
But now he is at an age where one or two players are questioning his worth, when things don't go right, because of his power, he can be quite a divisive figure. His demeanour is that he does not want to be at Manchester United and that is reflected in his actions.
Of course he is professional, and he's contracted, therefore when he's put on the bench he accepts that, and I think it was important for Erik ten Hag to set the tone in the opening game and make it clear that you cannot miss a pre-season tour and then walk back into the side.
But against Brentford he starts and if it had gone to plan for Manchester United he would have scored, they would have won the game, then suddenly there's this opportunity to move on, even though Ronaldo still wants to leave.
Going through the motions
But the defeat has only solidified in Ronaldo's mind that he wants out of the football club. He is going through the motions, certainly between now and when the window shuts, while waiting for Jorge Mendes to bail him out and find an offer.
He doesn't want to be there and it doesn't matter how hard you try, I think in any profession, to get on with it, put on a brave face, do the job to the best of your ability, if mentally you've checked out, then that is going to reflect on the dressing room on the field, on the training ground, and how you play your football.
Every single time something doesn't go to plan, or you get another blow, all it does in Ronaldo's mind is confirm that he's at the wrong football club. So the window can't shut quick enough from United's perspective and Ronaldo's as well, because United would love for it just to shut, and then he's there at least til January, that would give everybody a boost in many respects.
Not necessarily because they would celebrate they kept him but it's a chance to move on. From Ronaldo's perspective, he does have some incentive which is to get himself playing and scoring at his peak, for one final World Cup.
If he's stuck at Manchester United that's the silver lining, that he can't and won't just mope and refuse to play. He has to get back to his elite peak in the next few months because there is a World Cup.
Then he can return to try and force himself out of Manchester United, if it doesn't happen now, after the World Cup. That will benefit United.
From Ronaldo's point of view he's in limbo at the moment and doesn't have to engage off the field, he's a professional and obviously any prospective suitor will be looking at the wages and the circus that jhe brings and if they seem him in any way being unprofessional then naturally they may factor that into their decisoon-making as well.
It is very important for Ronaldo that he puts on a show, on and off the field in the next few weeks, if he is to provoke any offer now and get out of the football club, which remains his desire.
