Gary Neville insists Cristiano Ronaldo looks happier at Man United after his attempt to leave and urges him to stay in January… but refutes claims from other pundits that Erik ten Hag has ‘disrespected’ him by demoting him to the bench
- Gary Neville has pinpointed a recent change he has seen in Cristiano Ronaldo
- The Manchester United star made clear his desire to leave the club this summer
- But Red Devils icon Neville claimed Ronaldo now looks happier at Old Trafford
- And he urged the Portuguese to help United qualify for the Champions League
Gary Neville has pinpointed a recent change in Cristiano Ronaldo‘s demeanour at Manchester United after wanting to leave this summer.
The star forward announced his desire to quit Old Trafford this summer due to the club failing to qualify for the Champions League this season and has often cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines, with a bit-part role under new boss Erik ten Hag.
But Neville told The Mirror that Ronaldo seems happier at United, having potentially accepted he will not start every game now, and urged him to stay in January and help his side finish in the top four.
Gary Neville highlighted a recent change in the mood of Man United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (right)
Neville insists the star forward looks happier after announcing his desire to leave this summer
He said: ‘What I would hope is that, like with any other player coming towards the end of his career, he’ll accept that he won’t play every single game and he’ll stay and become a massive contributor like he was on Sunday night [in the win over Everton] and United will have a good season.
‘If Ronaldo stays I do think they have a far better chance of being a top-four team, even if he doesn’t play every week and he comes off the bench like he did against Everton. But I suspect his mentality, his psyche is such that he can’t not play.
‘He feels it’s an insult and people I respect enormously in the game think he’s being disrespected by being on the bench, but I don’t see that at all. I think Erik ten Hag has come out of this really well.’
Veteran Ronaldo, 37, scored 24 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions last campaign but has only started once in the league this season, a 4-0 thrashing by Brentford in…