After a horrid Euro 2024 campaign from Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik ten Hag will feel justified over what he did in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal side crashed out of Euro 2024 on Friday in a penalty shootout defeat to France.
Despite the fact penalties are a lottery, for Portugal this was the second game on the bounce without scoring which also went all the way to penalties.
Ronaldo endured a torrid tournament and so did those around him but considering how the captain and Manchester United legend was portraying himself on the pitch, his work rate and his performances, Erik ten Hag has been justified in his decision to get rid of Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo proves Erik ten Hag was right at Euro 2024
During United’s poor 2023/24 season, there was some dialogue about whether Ten Hag had made a mistake over his treatment of Ronaldo.
But after watching the Euros this summer, Ten Hag will be absolutely certain he made the right call. It’d be hard to watch Ronaldo’s uninspiring performances throughout the Euros and wish he was still leading the line for United.
Ronaldo has failed to score in the Euros this summer for the first time in his career and even aside from not scoring he looks miles off the pace in each game, particularly the knockout stage.
FotMob scored Ronaldo an average match rating of 6.17 for the two knockout stage games before Portugal’s elimination. Throughout the campaign, he averaged 4.3 shots per 90 which is a lot to not score from considering some of the chances were situations he would have converted five years ago.
Ronaldo was almost a hindrance to the Portuguese side which isn’t something anyone would’ve ever thought possible and as he nears two years away from playing in Europe, he’s clearly struggling to remain at a top level.
- READ MORE: Who is Cristiano Ronaldo? Meet one of football’s most iconic names and undisputed Man Utd legend
Ten Hag demands things from a striker Ronaldo won’t do
Ronaldo has been replaced at United by Rasmus Hojlund and it also looks as though Joshua Zirkzee will also be joining the ranks this summer.
Both of these players are hard-working, proper number nines who will work hard and selflessly for the team. This is something which Ronaldo couldn’t be further from and shows why Ronaldo under Ten Hag would’ve never worked.
Ten Hag simply demands different things from a number nine and if he had caved to Ronaldo, we’d be seeing a far less proactive team which plays around a static number nine, which pressing from the front would be impossible.
Last season wasn’t great from Ten Hag’s side and we expect much better, but there’s no reason that things would’ve been any better with Ronaldo, rather they might’ve been worse.
Ronaldo will always be a club legend, but him departing was the correct move for United and there is now no denying that.