>
Erik ten Hag reveals Cristiano Ronaldo was his FOURTH choice as Manchester United captain… after the Portuguese superstar was entrusted with the armband in the club’s disappointing defeat to Aston Villa
- Cristiano Ronaldo served as Man United’s captaincy in their 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa
- But the 37-year-old struggled again to impress at the game
- After the loss, Erik ten Hag revealed that Ronaldo was the fourth choice as skipper
- Casemiro was considered but overlooked due to his basic English skills
Erik ten Hag has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo was his fourth choice as captain after handing the 37-year-old the armband when Manchester United fell to defeat at Villa Park.
After a tumultuous summer in which Ronaldo made no attempt to hide his wish to leave the club, before walking through the tunnel before the final whistle at Tottenham Hotspur last month, more than a few eyebrows were raised when the attacker was named United captain. before the game against Aston Villa.
Ronaldo was selected as captain because permanent skipper Harry Maguire was on the bench, while deputy Bruno Fernandes was not available for selection due to his suspension.
Erik ten Hag has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo was his fourth choice as Man United captain after handing the 37-year-old the armband in the defeat to Aston Villa
Possibly chosen to skipper as a way to inspire his teammates through his individual brilliance on the pitch, Ronaldo ultimately failed to set the example for the other players to follow.
The former Real Madrid star was unable to have much of an impact on the game and his most notable moment came when he collided with Villa defender Tyrone Mings, in which he was lucky enough to escape when he got his marching orders.
Ten Hag revealed that he had considered offering the armband to the summer offered by Casemiro for his leadership skills, but ultimately chose the Ballon d’Or winner due to Casemiro’s lack of English.
Ronaldo had a frustrating afternoon as skipper as United fell to their fourth league defeat of the season
New boy Casemiro was eligible for the bracelet, but Ten Hag ultimately did not choose it because of his basic knowledge of English
After United’s fourth Premier League defeat of the season, the Dutch manager explained why he handed Ronaldo the captain’s armband.
“Harry Maguire is on the bench, our captain of the club. Then it is about David de Gea who is frontrunner but is a goalkeeper and is far from the outfield.
“Then Casemiro is the leader, but he doesn’t speak perfect English, so Cristiano is the leader.”