Erik ten Hag has acknowledged that he is unable to make Cristiano Ronaldo happy amidst his desire to leave Manchester United this summer. Nevertheless, he has insisted that the forward is not for sale.
The former Real Madrid forward is not currently in the Red Devils’ camp due to personal issues, but Erik ten Hag has revealed that the Portuguese is part of his ambition and wants to succeed alongside him.
The United boss faced numerous inquiries from reporters on the 37-year-old and his future at Old Trafford during his first pre-match press conference before their match in Thailand against Liverpool on Tuesday.
In spite of Ronaldo’s return to United in the previous summer, the team had a terrible campaign, changing coaches, and ending sixth in the Premier League.
Although Ronaldo’s agents have made it obvious recently that the player wants to leave United in order to play Champions League football next season, Ronaldo’s options are restricted and United has been staunch in their wish to publicly keep him.
Ten Hag emphasized this several times as he spoke with the media, revealing that his absence from the preseason tour, which also takes United to Australia, was due to personal concerns.
“He’s not with us due to personal issues. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season and that’s it. I’m looking forward to working with him. I don’t know how to make him happy, he hasn’t told me this. But Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale, he’s in our plans and we want to get success together.” – Ten Hag said.
Erik Ten Hag: "Cristiano Ronaldo is NOT for sale, he is in our plans – he's not with us due to personal issues. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season, that's it". π¨π΄ #MUFC
"How to make Cristiano happy? I don't know – I'm looking forward to work with him". pic.twitter.com/8bSRpQbXkI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 11, 2022
Ten Hag said that he has spoken to Ronaldo since being named manager, but he also hinted that there hasn’t been any communication since the news of his wish to quit the club broke at the end of last month.
“I spoke with him, but before this issue came up. We had a real good talk, but that is between Cristiano Ronaldo and me. I cannot tell if Ronaldo will join the pre-season tour because of the reasons I’ve already explained,” he said.
Ten Hag did, however, disclose that the team is seeking to target forward and midfield transfer prospects.
π³πππ ππππ ππππ? π·πππππ πππππ π πππππππ ππ πππ πππ!
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