Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag arrived at Carrington for showdown talks on Tuesday morning as they look to draw a line under the Portuguese superstar’s ongoing first team exile.
Ronaldo has been training alone since being banished from the first team squad after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last week.
Ronaldo rejected a request to go on with five minutes to go and stormed down the tunnel at Old Trafford before the full-time whistle during their 2-0 win over Antonio Conte’s side on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo And Erik Ten Hag Arrives At Carrington For Face-Off Talks. Having had two days off following their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Saturday – Ten Hag and Ronaldo will hold clear-the-air talks today.
The latest round of talks will likely require a climbdown from Ronaldo if Ten Hag is to reintegrate him into the first team.
Should the five-time Ballon d’Or winner concede he has been in the wrong, Ronaldo could return to training with his team-mates and be in contention to play at home to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on Thursday.
Ten Hag is not suffering fools gladly and he reiterated his position after the draw at Chelsea that he is focused on the ‘long term’ – a nod to life at United without Ronaldo.
‘It is more important to have the right culture and standards and values,’ he said.
‘The longer term is always more important and in the end that will bring you into the right position.’
Sportsmail previously reported how Ronaldo has shown thinly veiled disdain for Ten Hag and his coaching team, to the extent of blatantly ignoring one senior staff figure.
As a result, there has been an overarching sense of animosity at the training ground.
Players are said to be aware of Ronaldo and Ten Hag clashing on a daily basis, although it is not affecting the spirit in camp.
‘As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches. That hasn’t changed,’ Ronaldo said on Instagram, in his only address since not coming off the bench.
‘I haven’t changed. I’m the same person and the same professional that I’ve been for the last 20 years playing elite football, and respect has always played a very important role in my decision making process.’
He added: ‘I started very young, the older and most experienced players examples were always very important to me. Therefore, later on, I’ve always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters that grew in all the teams that I’ve represented.
‘Unfortunately that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment get’s the best of us.
‘Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates and be ready for everything in any given game. Giving in to the pressure is not an option. It never was. This is Manchester United, and united we must stand. Soon we’ll be together again.’
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