“I Will Deal With That” – Ten Hag Reacts To Ronaldo Walking Down The Tunnel Before Full-Time

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Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag.

REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Erik ten Hag’s best outing as Manchester United manager was blemished by Cristiano Ronaldo’s disappointing action late in the game.

The Dutchman dropped Ronaldo from the starting XI in favour of Marcus Rashford against Tottenham Hotspur following the Red Devils’ failure to break open Newcastle United’s defence over the weekend.

The Portuguese produced an underwhelming display in the stalemate and was subbed off, much to his disappointment, as United looked for a winner on Sunday. In his interview with MUTV before the Spurs clash, Ten Hag suggested he’d have started Rashford against Newcastle if he wasn’t ill.

As such, it came as no surprise to see Rashford’s name on the teamsheet ahead of Ronaldo on Wednesday night.

With a more dynamic presence, United were much more unpredictable and inventive in the final third, and only Hugo Lloris’ monstrous performance helped Spurs avoid an embarrassing scoreline.

Ten Hag decided against bringing on Ronaldo despite United’s 2-0 lead. His decision was vindicated by United’s dominance over Antonio Conte’s men for the entirety of the 90 minutes.

However, the Portuguese superstar didn’t look best pleased and disappeared down the tunnel with 89 minutes on the clock and four minutes of injury time still to play.

The United boss, who would’ve preferred full focus on the encouraging result, was asked to react to Ronaldo walking down the tunnel early. He said: “I will deal with that tomorrow, not today. We are celebrating this victory.”

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Ronaldo has only managed two league starts under the former Ajax boss, who has so far preferred Rashford and Anthony Martial to lead the line due to the tactical flexibility the duo brings to the table.

The 37-year-old is unlikely to change his boss’ mind with his petulant display.