There can be a way back.
There doesn't appear to be many more significant signs of disrespect that a player can show to a manager than refusing to be substituted on. It's been seen on several occasions in recent years - Carlos Tevez for Manchester City being a notable example - and it understandably sends many managers into a frothing rage.
Erik ten Hag handled the situation markedly different when he was given the sour dish by Cristiano Ronaldo. So much so that it wasn't even obvious that Ronaldo had refused to play. Instead, it seemed likely that he had walked off in a strop before the final whistle because he hadn't been brought on.
READ MORE: Ten Hag explains why he dropped Ronaldo for Chelsea fixture
Instead of descending into justifiable fury and publicly ostracising Ronaldo, Ten Hag instead calmly carried on with his business, kept his cards close to his chest and then suitably punished him for his transgression. It seems like a bold and brave move to bring down the law on such a massive name but it's not. It's just simple, smart and logical decision-making from a manager who knows his authority and responsibility. The fact that it feels like such a unique move just shows how starved Manchester United have been of worthy leaders in recent years and how indiscipline had been allowed to grow like weeds in a neglected garden.
But there is a way back. After Tevez refused to play in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich, manager Roberto Mancini claimed: "Carlos can’t play with us. With me, no. He’s finished.” The Argentine was suspended, fined, refused to turn up for training and left England for Argentina. But even after all that he came back into the fold and ended the season lifting the Premier League title.
The fallout doesn't look nearly as half as nuclear in the Ronaldo scenario, so once the Chelsea game is done with he could return to the side and continue as if nothing has happened. Ten Hag wants that himself. When asked if he thought Ronaldo would remain with the club in January and if he wants to keep him, he said: "Both. That (January departure) is speculation. I count on Cristiano. So in this moment it is not an item."
However, the reality is that Ronaldo is not long for United. It was clear when Ten Hag was hired that he couldn't and wouldn't be a major factor in his plans as now at 37 he just isn't physically capable of doing what's required in the Dutchman's system. His desperation to leave may have been in order to find a guaranteed starting spot rather than just a lack of Champions League football but despite his agent's best efforts, no escape route was found.
A departure would have suited all parties but it can finally come to pass in the summer. Ronaldo's contract is set to expire in 2023 and though United do hold to option to extend it by a further 12 months they would be fools to trigger it and would only be doing so for off-field motivations. There is little use for Ronaldo anymore.
His exit would free up the famous No.7 jersey, too, which would certainly pick Jadon Sancho's ears up. Ronaldo's return in 2021 severely overshadowed the arrival of Sancho, who was meant to be United's marquee signing that summer and the player who would complete Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's forward line. The signing of Ronaldo upended those earnest plans and derailed the side's attacking structure.
It was all the more galling that Sancho didn't get No.7, a number he wore with great distinction at Borussia Dortmund, as it was held by Edinson Cavani. Yet, when Ronaldo was signed he got it even though it meant breaking Premier League rules for the first time ever as a number can not be changed once a season has begun unless a player leaves.
If (when) Ronaldo goes, Sancho will be the top candidate to finally get his dream number at Old Trafford. Hopefully, it will signal a return to the form that United wanted him so badly off the back of.
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