03 March 2024 , 09:00
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Manchester United make the trip to local rivals Manchester City on Sunday aiming to avoid a repeat of the humiliation they were subject to last season.
Erik ten Hag took his side to the Etihad in October of 2022 as underdogs, but few expected United to ship so many. A hat-trick each for Erling Haaland and Phil Foden helped City run out 6-3 winners, with Pep Guardiola's men 6-1 up by the 73rd minute before two late consolation goals from Anthony Martial.
Remarkably, despite conceding six goals against their fierce rivals, much of the post-match discourse wasn't even centred around United's shortcomings. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo was the centre of attention despite the fact that he watched the entire clash from the substitutes bench.
Having been signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the year prior, Ronaldo never really saw eye to eye with Ten Hag and that became apparent soon into the Dutchman's reign as boss. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner being benched for the entirety of a local derby was always going to spark debate and that's exactly what followed.
Ten Hag himself faced plenty of questions over his decision to keep Ronaldo on the bench for the game, claiming he insisted that he didn't want to disrespect Real Madrid man's career. He told reporters: "I didn't bring him on out of respect for his big career.
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"And the other thing, there was then the advantage I could bring Antony Martial on. He needs the minutes but I don't want to point it out like that."
His explanation was not sufficient in the eyes of United legend Roy Keane, who declared that Ten Hag had actually been guilty of the very thing he was trying to avoid. The Red Devils icon even suggested that Ronaldo should have been sold the same summer Ten Hag arrived.
HAVE YOUR SAY!Was Ten Hag disrespectful by benching Ronaldo? Comment below
Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute for Manchester United's last trip to the Etihad"I think United are showing disrespect to Ronaldo," Keane told Sky Sports. "He should have been let go before the transfer window. The manager kept him. Okay, he said he wanted options.
"But you don't keep Ronaldo to sit on the bench. He is one of the greatest players ever. He had options [to move in the summer]. This idea he didn't have options is rubbish. He had four or five good options.
"The big picture is that Ten Hag is not going to play Ronaldo. It is just going to get uglier as the season goes on United have shown nothing but disrespect to Ronaldo."
Just two months after that fateful Manchester derby decision, Ronaldo conducted an explosive interview that ended his United career. His contract was terminated and he now lines up for Saudi side Al-Nassr, while Ten Hag remains under pressure in the Old Trafford hot seat ahead of Sunday's showdown.
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