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Tag: Erik ten Hag

  • Manchester United shocks Manchester City in English FA Cup final as its teenage scorers make history at Wembley

    Manchester United shocks Manchester City in English FA Cup final as its teenage scorers make history at Wembley

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    (CNN) — Manchester United won the FA Cup on Saturday, defying the odds to defeat overwhelming favorite Manchester City 2-1 and deny its crosstown rival back-to-back league and cup doubles.

    A week is a long time in soccer. On Sunday, Manchester City sealed a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title and was ready to cap a glittering season with another trophy at Wembley.

    Pre-match there was a sense of inevitability about the result – United had lost six of its last seven matches against City and four of its last five finals, while City was enjoying another dominant season.

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    Issy Ronald and CNN

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  • Cristiano Ronaldo makes big-money move to Saudi Arabian club

    Cristiano Ronaldo makes big-money move to Saudi Arabian club

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    LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo completed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Friday in a deal that is a landmark moment for Middle Eastern soccer but will see one of Europe’s biggest stars disappear from the sport’s elite stage.

    Al Nassr posted a picture on social media of the five-time Ballon d’Or holding up the team’s jersey after Ronaldo signed a deal until June 2025, with the club hailing the move as “history in the making.”

    “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves,” the club wrote.

    It also gives the 37-year-old Ronaldo a massive payday in what could be the final contract of his career. Media reports have claimed the Portugal star could be earning up to $200 million a year from the deal, which would make him the highest-paid soccer player in history.

    Ronaldo said in a statement that he was “eager to experience a new league in a different country.”

    “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia,” the forward added.

    While the signing is a massive boost for Middle Eastern soccer, it will also fuel the debate about Saudi Arabia using so-called “sportswashing” to boost the country’s image internationally. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns Premier League team Newcastle, and the country is considering a bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

    Ronaldo had been a free agent after his contract was terminated by Manchester United following an explosive TV interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners after having been repeatedly benched and even temporarily suspended by the club.

    He is also coming off a disappointing World Cup where he was benched in the knockout rounds and left the field in tears after Portugal lost in the quarterfinals to Morocco.

    And after a storied career that saw him win the Champions League with both United and Real Madrid, along with league and cup titles in England, Spain and Italy, he will now seemingly see out the last years of his career far away from the spotlight of top European soccer.

    While Saudi Arabia earned its biggest international soccer win ever at the World Cup in Qatar last month when it beat eventual champion Argentina in its first group-stage game, the domestic league has few other stars and is not watched by a major international audience.

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    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Ronaldo to leave Manchester United ‘with immediate effect’

    Ronaldo to leave Manchester United ‘with immediate effect’

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    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United “with immediate effect,” the Premier League club said Tuesday, days after he gave an explosive interview criticizing manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners.

    It wasn’t known where the 37-year-old Ronaldo will go next next after failing to secure a move to a Champions League club in the summer.

    “Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early,” Ronaldo said. “I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge.

    “I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”

    Ronaldo, who is currently in Qatar with Portugal as he aims to win a first World Cup title for his country, has been left frustrated after being reduced to a fringe member of United’s team this season.

    The Portugal captain said he felt “betrayed” during the 90-minute interview with Piers Morgan, which aired Thursday and in which he was also critical of younger players.

    United said last week that it had initiated appropriate steps in response to his comments, with the cancellation of his contract widely expected.

    “Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” it said on Tuesday. “The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.”

    That statement didn’t convey the club’s dismay after the unauthorized interview.

    Ronaldo’s sudden exit could also speed up United’s plans to sign a new center forward.

    Ten Hag had planned to address his attack at the end of the season, but may now have to look for a replacement during the January window.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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    James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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  • Erik Ten Hag Hails Casemiro’s Impact At Manchester United

    Erik Ten Hag Hails Casemiro’s Impact At Manchester United

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    Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has hailed the impact of Casemiro at the Old Trafford club since his arrival from Real Madrid in the summer.

    The Brazilian midfielder has played an increasingly central part in Ten Hag’s improving side since they were beaten 6-3 by Manchester City a month ago.

    Casemiro was not in the starting line-up at the Etihad stadium that day, but since his recall to the side United have remained unbeaten in eight games.

    The former Real Madrid man has started every game in this run as United have won six games, against Everton, Tottenham and West Ham in the Premier League, and Omonia twice and Sheriff once in the Europa League, and drawn twice.

    It was Casemiro who kept the unbeaten run going with a late equaliser against Chelsea in United’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of October.

    “He told me when we had the first talk he needs a new challenge,” Ten Hag said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Because with Real Madrid he won everything.”

    “He was a big part of Real Madrid, still they don’t want him to go but he had the feeling I have to go to another club, to another league to prove myself and that shows his hunger, I really like that.”

    “From the first day he is coming with that attitude to every training, to every match and he proves it. I really like it and he will be more and more important to our team.”

    “I said it the other day, he is the cement between the stones in and out of possession. You see him growing from game to game and with that, our team is growing. We are really happy with that process but we have to keep that process going, because we are not satisfied, good is not good enough, we have to do better, so tomorrow we have another challenge and another test to do better.”

    The Dutchman was speaking ahead of Manchester United’s final Europa League group game against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian on Thursday.

    In the Reale Arena United need to win by two goals to overtake the Spanish side and finish top of their group to avoid having to play an extra round in the competition against one of the eight sides who will finish third in their Champions League group.

    A two goal victory on Thursday would see United straight through to the Europa League round of sixteen and avoid extra games in what will already be a congested schedule after the World Cup.

    The Spaniards have won all of their five Europa League group games so far this season, including a 1-0 victory over United back in September.

    Ten Hag believes his side has significantly improved since then. “It’s six weeks ago or so and it’s a different team, not all the players then are fit,” he said. “We’re growing, developing, making good progress.”

    “We know it’s difficult to win games here but we like the challenge. We know we have to win by two goals, we have a plan for that and we will do everything to get it done.”

    A draw would see Real Sociedad win the group, but Ten Hag believes they won’t be able to sit back for ninety minutes. “I think their coach likes proactive football, they want to play and I think they will stick to that. If it’s a different approach we will adapt but we know what to do.”

    Ten Hag confirmed United will be without Jadon Sancho, who is ill, and Antony and Antony Martial, who are both recovering from injuries.

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    Sam Pilger, Contributor

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  • David De Gea Is Changing His Game To Satisfy Erik Ten Hag’s Man Utd Demands

    David De Gea Is Changing His Game To Satisfy Erik Ten Hag’s Man Utd Demands

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    When the full time whistle blew on Manchester United’s narrow 1-0 win over West Ham United, almost every player in red rushed over to David de Gea to offer their congratulations, and thanks. The goalkeeper pulled off a number of saves to give his team a much-needed victory. It was the sort of performance de Gea has produced many times over his career.

    De Gea’s reputation as one of the best keepers of his generation is well-established, but the 31-year-old has come under scrutiny for his all-round play since the arrival of Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford this summer. The Dutch coach prefers his goalkeepers to be comfortable with the ball at their feet and this isn’t a strength of de Gea’s game.

    Goalkeepers like Alisson Becker and Ederson have changed expectations of players in their position in the modern game. While keepers were not so long ago solely judged on their ability to keep the ball out of their net, they now play a role in starting attacks through their use of possession.

    This is where de Gea is lacking as demonstrated by the mistake the 31-year-old made on the ball in the catastrophic 4-0 defeat to Brentford earlier this season. Ten Hag has instead installed Lisandro Martinez as the deep-lying player to start attacking moves from deep with the Argentine tasked with taking the ball from de Gea as early as possible.

    However, de Gea is still making changes to his game in order to be a better fit for Ten Hag’s Manchester United. The Spaniard is coming off his line much quicker, something that allows United to play a higher defensive line in the knowledge they have something of a safety net to prevent opponents from getting in behind.

    A more proactive approach is hiding same of the flaws in de Gea’s game and Ten Hag is showing his faith in the 31-year-old after a difficult start to the season which had many speculating whether the Manchester United manager would be forced to enter the transfer market to find a new goalkeeper.

    “Everyone has his own opinion but for me, the first thing for a goalkeeper is to protect the goal and make sure you don’t concede goals,” Ten Hag said after de Gea’s eye-catching performance against West Ham. “In that fact he is magnificent. But with the feet he has capabilities as well. That is not only with the keeper but also the one in front and what options you give to bring passes in. I am convinced he can do it. The games so far he proved it.”

    It’s still entirely possible that Manchester United will target a new goalkeeper who is a more natural fit for Ten Hag’s approach with Porto’s Diogo Costa believed to be on their radar. De Gea, however, is a club icon and is showing willingness to learn new skills even at this late stage of his career.

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    Graham Ruthven, Contributor

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  • Three Players Manchester United Should Be Looking At Ahead Of The January Transfer Window

    Three Players Manchester United Should Be Looking At Ahead Of The January Transfer Window

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    While results have picked up for Erik Ten Hag’s new and improved Manchester United, there is always one eye locked on the next transfer window to reinforce the squad.

    Cristiano Ronaldo looks more certain than ever to leave the club coming into the winter months, crystallised by his off-field antics and regular cause for disruption.

    The Portugal international attempted to leave the club in the summer, hence not turning up once for pre-season, but a lack of suitors and Manchester United not willing to part ways with him forced the centre forward to remain put.

    With Ten Hag preferring Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford operating through the middle, the relationship with Ronaldo has strained further, resulting in very public passive aggressive tactics to undermine the new manager – such as walking down the tunnel before the game was finished against Tottenham Hotspur.

    Here are three players that Manchester United will pursuing January onwards:

    Victor Osimhen

    A player that has continually been growing with each season, Victor Osimhen is now one of the most talked about young centre forwards in Europe.

    Arriving from LOSC, the Napoli striker was signed for an impressed £65 million as a 21 year old. After an acclimatisation period in the south of Italy, the Nigerian centre forward has become one of the best players in Serie A.

    This season, Osimhen has been involved in six goal involvements – five goals, one assist – in nine appearances across all competitions; including the winner last weekend against AS Roma.

    With Ronaldo’s inevitable departure, it makes sense for Manchester United to move quickly, fighting off what would be any other potential suitors by trying to poach Osimhen in the January market.

    Given the high price that Napoli paid for the Nigeria international, it is likely that the Red Devils will have to fork out more than £70 million to secure his signature.

    While Rashford has filled in as the team’s number nine, it has been clear to see that Ten Hag lacks a natural goalscorer with energy in abundance. The Englishman’s finishing has been somewhat wasteful, and so the need to bring in an out-and-out striker is high on the priority list.

    Frenkie de Jong

    Manchester United’s coveted pursuit of Frenkie de Jong ultimately ended in disappointment as FC Barcelona kept their star midfielder past the summer window.

    It was clearly from the moment Ten Hag took over that his number one priority was De Jong with the club pulling out every stop they had to try and recruit him. Ultimately, there were too many complications in the way over deferred wages that prevented the transfer from going through, but that is not to say Man United will not try again.

    In came Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, both of whom have been absolutely excellent for Manchester United and revitalised their midfield. The question is now aimed at squad depth and having multiple world class players among the ranks.

    De Jong has been used sparingly in the Champions League, with Xavi preferring to go for a midfield three of Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Pedri, leaving the Dutchman left on the bench.

    Barcelona had agreed a deal with Manchester United for the transfer of de Jong, but the player was not to move until his deferred wages had been paid up by the Catalan club.

    With de Jong recognising that his minutes have been cut short this season, it might just be the final domino to fall for the Dutch international to find pastures new.

    Cody Gakpo

    Arguably Europe’s most talked about player, Cody Gakpo is a player that is in demand this winter.

    After nearly signing for both Manchester United and Leeds United on deadline day, Gakpo has started this season with the intent of making that career-defining move sooner rather than later.

    He has laid down a serious market both domestically and in the Europa League. The Dutch international has 18 goals and assists in just 11 Eredivisie matches – a quite remarkable effort given he occupies the left wing rather than the centre forward position.

    Nailed-on to be in Louis van Gaal’s final squad for next month’s World Cup, Gakpo’s stock is likely to continue to rise, which will be music to PSV Eindhoven’s ears with four years left on his current contract.

    A transfer fee is likely to be in-and-around the £50 million mark, which is already at least £15 million more than what Manchester United had all-but agreed with PSV earlier in the summer. The Red Devils pulled out as they had finally secured the services of former Ajax player Antony, but are likely to return in the future.

    The only downside of pursuing Gakpo is of course his more natural position of occupying th left wing, which Manchester United are rather stocked up on. If Ten Hag feels he can convert Gakpo to a more natural number nine, then it is a no brainer given his physical profile and goals record to date.

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    Liam Canning, Contributor

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  • Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United Are Lacking One Thing: The Right Striker

    Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United Are Lacking One Thing: The Right Striker

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    Manchester United needed a stoppage time equaliser from Casemiro to snatch a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the evidence of their turnaround under Erik ten Hag this season came in the 94 minutes that came beforehand. At last, the Old Trafford club appears to have turned a corner.

    In many ways, United were the dominant side on Saturday. Chelsea manager Graham Potter was forced to change his tactical set-up in the first half of the Premier
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     League fixture to stop the visitors from dictating. Even then, the Blues struggled to hang on to the coattails of Ten Hag’s team.

    It was therefore surprising that Chelsea came within seconds of snatching all three points. This, however, was reflective of the progress Manchester United have still to make under Ten Hag. For all the dominance United enjoyed, for all the opportunities they created, they failed to make that count on the scoreboard.

    The summer addition of Casemiro has given Ten Hag the security he needed in midfield with the Brazilian getting the best out of Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes around him. Manchester United have an effective midfield unit for the first time since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson nine years ago.

    United’s defence has also been strengthened by the signing of Lisandro Martinez with the Argentine bringing the sort of bite and intensity that had been lacking in that position for years. Martinez’s centre back partnership with Raphael Varane has given Ten Hag a foundation to build on top of.

    There has been sign of growth in the wide attacking positions too with Antony settling quickly following his summer switch from Ajax with Jadon Sancho starting the season well. Sancho could still contribute more, but Ten Hag appears to have a greater understanding of the England international’s qualities than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick ever did.

    In central attack, though, Ten Hag has still to find a solution. Marcus Rashford has proven himself as an effective option when United play on the counter attack, but Ten Hag’s trademark style is more possession-based than that. Anthony Martial’s performances have hinted that he could thrive in the position, but the Frenchman can’t stay fit for long enough to achieve any consistency.

    Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest goalscorer of his generation, but the 37-year-old doesn’t have the physicality to press from the front and has made clear his desire to leave Old Trafford. It’s clear Manchester United need a new centre forward to take the next step under their new manager.

    “It is quite clear we want to win every game and we want, in this moment, to develop the team,” Ten Hag recently explained. “That is what you need and getting in the right position, and we will see where we are when it is March or April. But that is a long road to go. So, for now, I am not looking at the table, I am looking at the process and the progress.”

    Ten Hag’s Manchester United are still a work-in-progress, but the Dutch coach is starting to find some solutions in certain areas of the pitch. United are starting to play like a Ten Hag team. However, they still lack a suitable number nine to translate that into results. Until United find they, they will remain a work-in-progress.

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    Graham Ruthven, Contributor

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  • What Should Manchester United Do With Cristiano Ronaldo After He Walked Down The Tunnel Against Tottenham?

    What Should Manchester United Do With Cristiano Ronaldo After He Walked Down The Tunnel Against Tottenham?

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    While Manchester United emphatically came away with the three points against Tottenham Hotspur during the midweek fixtures, the attention quickly turned to the antics and fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo.

    After reportedly refusing to come on as a substitute, the Portuguese superstar decided to leave the dugout early and head down the tunnel in what was blatant disrespect to his teammates and club. Ronaldo also left Old Trafford swiftly afterwards and did not join in the post-match celebrations.

    Erik Ten Hag subsequently came out to the media to downplay any ramifications and focus on the important result that they had just recorded, but it was among everyone’s lips – selfishly taking away what was the team’s best performance in years.

    A day later and Manchester United released a statement to state that Ronaldo would not be in the match-day squad for Chelsea on the weekend. It was reported shortly afterwards that Ronaldo would also be removed from the first-team training sessions and placed in the reserves.

    There is no debating among Manchester United fans the adoration they have for Ronaldo, and how important he was last season in terms of his goal-scoring efforts, but there is an acceptance that the Red Devils are now better without.

    When Ronaldo is shoe-horned into the team, the overall play worsens. Less presses, less distance covered, less authority given to individuals just by Ronaldo’s presence of being in the line-up. There is, instead, an over compensation of trying to work the ball to the centre forward to appease him.

    Erik Ten Hag has come in this summer and stamped his authority on the team from the off. The Dutchman has put together his idea of a pressing system that relies on the sum of all parts to be greater than one.

    Ronaldo, at his age and natural physical decline, clearly cannot operate from the front with the type of energy that Ten Hag needs from his side. And with the antics in the summer over wanting to leave the club, there was no need for the manager to shoe-horn Ronaldo into the side from the off.

    After the first two disastrous results, Ten Hag has seen an uprising in his team’s performances and results have followed. Manchester United look a better outfit for it and are covering far more ground, well over 100km per-game, than they had earlier on in the campaign.

    Ten Hag has stated that Ronaldo is firmly in his plans for the rest of the season and will be recalled to first team training, but needed to make a statement that carries weight throughout the whole squad.

    However, privately, what has happened this week has only aided Ten Hag behind the scenes in being strong on his belief that Manchester United need a new centre forward that is full of energy and age on his side.

    Ronaldo provides a headache both on and off the pitch for Manchester United. He might be profitable from a commercial standpoint, but if he is on the pitch, the team play worse for it, and if he is on the bench and away from it, there are major distractions and tantrums that is prohibiting the club’s progress.

    For all parties, a split in January works well providing Manchester United can bring someone in for the rest of the campaign. The distractions cannot continue and Ronaldo does not get away with it as much given his limiting performances this season.

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    Liam Canning, Contributor

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  • Three Things We Learned From Manchester United’s 2-0 Win Against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur

    Three Things We Learned From Manchester United’s 2-0 Win Against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur

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    Manchester United bounced back after their stale 0-0 draw against Newcastle United last weekend with an emphatic performance and result against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur.

    Their 2-0 win could have seen six or seven goals go in, such was their overall dominance and electric play. The intensity from the players was present throughout, which is something Manchester United fans have been crying out for for years.

    It was arguably the best performance by a Red Devils side for half a decade and certainly the best under new manager Erik Ten Hag. His stamp on the club is beginning to shine through.

    Here are three key takeaways from Man United’s resounding win:

    Team Unity Beginning To Show

    It might have been a rocky road in Manchester United’s two opening games, which both culminated in humiliating defeats, but since then, Ten Hag has created a bond among players that has proven its worth.

    There is a clear process behind the Dutch manager’s thinking with the current crop of players he has, and has shown that they are beginning to gel together under this regime.

    The performance against Tottenham was fantastic from the first whistle to the last, showing how their fitness levels have improved and how they are becoming more comfortable in possession with one another.

    This should only be the beginning for Ten Hag’s Red Devils, but the signs are there across the squad that they are enjoying being under the tutelage of the former AFC Ajax manager.

    How Manchester United Have Longed For Casemiro

    For at least three seasons now Manchester United fans have been crying out for a defensive midfielder that can still perform at the elite level.

    Unfortunately for Nemanja Matić, his legs had started to go some three years previous and would not be able to raise his level to what was required as a defensive midfielder in the Premier
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     League on a regular basis.

    As he left on a free transfer last summer, the Red Devils finally secured a replacement in Casemiro. Given his time to get into the team under Ten Hag, some wrongly wrote him off and accused Manchester United of another failed transfer.

    However, as the Dutch manager quite rightly said about Casemiro settling into life in England, the Brazilian midfielder has risen to the occasion and shown his utter brilliance.

    Sitting in front of two world class defenders in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro is the perfect cover for any team. Strong, a physical bully, composed, eager to get on the ball, and an eye to move forward and transition, he is exactly the player Manchester United have needed. If only they had signed him three years ago!

    No Player Is Bigger Than The Club

    As shown by Ten Hag’s ruthlessness by dropping Cristiano Ronaldo out of the match-day squad for their trip to Chelsea this weekend, no player is bigger than the club itself.

    The Dutch manager might be playing it coy with the media and giving very direct answers, but behind the scenes there has been a sense of acceptance from the board that Ten Hag does not want Ronaldo in the building.

    After proving to be yet another distraction with his antics off the pitch, Manchester United were at a crossroads after the Tottenham game. Back their manager and his decision to punish Ronaldo, or go against him. Luckily for all, the hierarchy made the right decision and accepted Ten Hag’s point of view.

    The Dutchman is building something at Manchester United and must be given the full backing and confidence to bring it to fruition. It might not go down with certain sections, but Ten Hag made a decision for the good of the team which will be remembered as such.

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    Liam Canning, Contributor

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  • Manchester United Show Character To Secure Important Win At Everton

    Manchester United Show Character To Secure Important Win At Everton

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    When the final whistle was blown at Goodison Park on Sunday the Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag did not smile or show any sense of satisfaction that his side had just secured an important and hard fought 2-1 win over Everton.

    Instead he had a stern and inscrutable look on his face, bereft of any flicker of happiness, and appeared to be lost in his own thoughts.

    This was a man relieved to have won, but who could not be content with the scrappy and often disjointed performance he had just witnessed.

    At the end of the game United were desperately holding on to their advantage as Everton launched wave after wave of aerial attacks into their penalty area.

    But they managed to repel them all to secure their second win in four days following their 3-2 win over Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday.

    That narrow win in Cyprus came with its own frustrations, but taken together these two wins made a statement and showed United have begun to recover from the 6-3 humiliation they suffered at the hands of their local rivals Manchester City last Sunday.

    The win over Everton had glimmers of quality, but overall it was the character United showed, and the fighting spirit they summoned that will have pleased Ten Hag the most.

    Before the game the Dutchman had asked his players to be smarter and nastier and they showed both of these qualities on an often chaotic night on Merseyside.

    Despite the lack of a smile, there was still a lot to please Ten Hag; Ronaldo scoring his first Premier League goal of the season, and the 700th club goal of his incredible career; Casemiro impressing enough to win the Man of the Match award on his first Premier League start; Antony scoring his third goal in his third Premier League game, and even Anthony Martial looking sharp and providing an assist before he succumbed to an injury in the first half.

    Ten Hag’s evening did not start well when he saw Casemiro bundled off the ball after 5 minutes before it made its way to Alex Iwobi who gave Everton the lead with an impressive long-range goal that David De Gea might have done better to stop.

    United had lost 8 of their last 10 away games in the Premier League, but Ten Hag’s players were determined not to be responsible for another one and began to assert themselves over what was a rather limited Everton side.

    After 15 minutes, Martial smartly played Antony through on goal before the Brazilian finished with confidence past Jordan Pickford.

    The clearly uncomfortable Frenchman was only on the pitch for another 14 minutes before he was substituted and made way for the hungry Ronaldo.

    The Portuguese phenomenon turns 38 in February next year and does not want to waste the final years of his career sitting on the bench.

    Here was his opportunity to prove he deserves to start in Ten Hag’s side, and he took it after 44 minutes by running on to an incisive pass from his former Real Madrid team-mate Casemiro and finishing with a low and powerful shot past Pickford.

    This should have been the platform for United to take control of the game, but they spurned it and let Everton leverage themselves back into contention in the second half.

    The sloppiness that had marred United’s loss at Manchester City seven days earlier reappeared, with the ball being given away far too easily. The worst offender was Diogo Dalot at right-back who endured a horrible ninety minutes.

    In the final ten minutes Everton sensed they could take something from this game and sent on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon to try to exploit United’s relative lack of height in defence.

    A series of high balls and corners were sent into the United penalty area, and Everton came close to scoring several times, particularly through the physicality and presence of their midfielder Amadou Onana.

    Sensing danger, Ten Hag sent on Raphael Varane with only two minutes of added time remaining, but in this time he still managed to provide some calmness and assurance to the rest of the defence and guide his team-mates to the final whistle.

    “Criticism is normal when you have a defeat, especially in a big game, in a derby,” Ten Hag said after the game. “You have to deal with that and learn lessons. We did that. We had a setback of going 1-0 down but we responded much better by sticking to the gameplan and doing our jobs.”

    Overall Ten Hag will be relieved that his pair of former Real Madrid players Casemiro and Ronaldo look to be finding their form ahead of a very busy October.

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    Sam Pilger, Contributor

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