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Tim Sherwood has criticized Erik ten Hag for saying Cristiano Ronaldo was ‘his fifth captain’ and the Dutchman said to ‘keep his mouth shut’.
Manchester United were beaten 3-1 by Aston Villa on Sunday, with Ronaldo taking the pre-match captain’s armband in the absence of club captains Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
The club legend failed to inspire his team to victory, hitting a free kick into the wall, bemoaning his frustrations against Anthony Taylor and hitting a wild try in the Holte End, summing up a difficult afternoon for the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag (left) explained his decision to make Cristiano Ronaldo (right) his captain
Tim Sherwood (pictured) said United boss should ‘keep his mouth shut’
After the game, the United manager explained his decision to put the Portuguese star in charge, essentially admitting that Ronaldo has dropped his pecking order as captain while a number of other key players were unavailable.
“Harry Maguire is on the bench, our captain of the club,” said Ten Hag.
‘Then it’s about David de Gea who is frontrunner but is a goalkeeper and who is far from the outfield.
“Then Casemiro is the leader, but he doesn’t speak perfect English, so Cristiano is the leader.”
Unai Emery (right) orchestrated the perfect return to the PL with a 3-1 win over Ten Hag’s side
Ten Hag (pictured) explained that Ronaldo was fourth in his captaincy order
It looks like the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for the club, has fallen to fifth on the Dutchman’s leadership ladder, with Casemiro arriving above him earlier this summer in the 52-year-old favour.
Focusing on the manager’s comments after the game, Sherwood chided Ten Hag by claiming to “shut up” and not wave at comments about who is where in the leadership standings.
“What he’s saying, wasn’t he the fifth choice?” said the former Villa Boss to TalkSPORT.
“Why he has to justify why he gave Cristiano Ronaldo the bracelet, I just don’t know. Just shut up.’
The Portuguese forward (left) failed to inspire his team to victory, missing three chances
His fairytale homecoming was overshadowed by a few frustrating seasons at United, with the 37-year-old expressing his desire to leave the club earlier this summer, having only joined last season.
His first stint at the club began in 2003 under Sir Alex Ferguson, who nurtured the forward and helped him become the greatest goalscorer of all time.
After winning several Premier League trophies and a European Cup with the Red Devils, CR7 moved to Real Madrid in 2009, establishing himself as their 450-goal frontman, before leaving for Juventus in 2018.
It’s not the fairytale return of Ronaldo who has scored just three goals in 16 appearances this season
Even last season, Ronaldo still showed his quality, scoring 24 goals in 38 appearances for Manchester, but he became confused at the club due to turmoil off the pitch and turmoil in the dressing rooms, leaving him worried about his future at the club. club.
This year has gone from bad to worse, with Ten Hag playing ‘tough love’ with his superstar striker, knocking him out of the squad after the attacker burst through the tunnel in their 2-0 win over Spurs last month.
And while United seemed to have found some form after failing to lose in the last five games before Sunday’s defeat, Ten Hag reprimanded his team after the game for their poor decision-making, trying to find Ronaldo in the penalty area. with ‘stupid’ crosses .
Ronaldo (right) expressed frustration on the pitch during their 3-1 loss to Aston Villa
“No, I think it was stupid to do that,” the Dutchman said when asked why his side had looked at Ronaldo that way during the match.
“We delivered too many quick crosses from too far away. Too much was forced and there was no need.
“We have to find the crosses at the right times. The right moment was when Christian Eriksen did in the first half, and the moment was when he found Cristiano in the sack at the far post. That was the right time.’