Erik ten Hag 'open to Cristiano Ronaldo leaving' Manchester United, but under one condition

Two days after Manchester United suffered a shocking 4-0 defeat at Brentford, manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly changed his stance on want-away striker Cristiano Ronaldo. The Dutchman has praised the Portuguese superstar and dubbed him a 'giant' of the sport. So far, the club has insisted that the 37-year-old is not for sale, but reports suggest that the United boss is willing to approve the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's departure but has a condition.

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As per The Athletic, "Ten Hag is open to Ronaldo departing if United can recruit in the attack." The report added that the Dutchman initially wanted the Red Devils to dig in and keep the game's greatest ever players on their books. "He took the view that even at such an age, Ronaldo remains a world-class goalscorer they could not afford to lose," the report stated.

Ronaldo has been strongly associated with several elite teams in Europe, but Manchester United has not yet received an official proposal. The player and his entourage have offered him to many clubs, including Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Napoli and, more recently, Milan clubs in Italy. He has been firmly rejected on all fronts. The Portugal talisman's absence from the Red Devils' pre-season tour, according to Adam Crafton, has made it more difficult to reintegrate him into the group performing well in Bangkok and Australia.

"The Athletic has been told of days where he eats lunch alone in the canteen at Carrington, while he has been seen flapping his arms about in training and attempting to argue against the high-pressing approach favoured by the new manager," the report added.

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"Several sources close to United, who wished not to be named to protect their business relationships, argued that Ronaldo has been afforded greater leeway than his peers and indulged beyond the contribution he is currently providing to the club. Ronaldo had further exasperated coaches and supporters when he did not acknowledge United's travelling fans after the full-time whistle, despite assistant coach Steve McClaren appearing to urge him over to them," the report concluded.

This comes as word broke yesterday that club officials were considering terminating Ronaldo's contract due to his negative attitude, which both the staff and the players had grown weary of. Manchester Evening News refuted these claims, dismissing them as untrue. "Manchester United insist reports they are considering terminating Cristiano Ronaldo's contract is false. Their position on Ronaldo hasn't changed," the outlet reported.

Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure during Manchester United's appalling 4-0 defeat at Brentford, which left Erik ten Hag's side bottom of the Premier League table. Meanwhile, the Dutchman ordered his players in for extra training on Sunday and wanted to make them run 13.8 kilometres during training because Brentford's players ran that much further than them during Saturday's defeat. It is essential to highlight that the Portuguese icon participated in running drills yesterday at Carrington.

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