Erik ten Hag has made the controversial decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo from first-team duties in recent weeks.
But the bold move has apparently paid dividends, with Manchester United winning four Premier League matches on the bounce following Ten Hag's sudden reshuffle. The Dutchman has opted to play Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga up top with Ronaldo coming off the bench as and when to little effect.
Despite Man United's turnaround, Ten Hag's decision to limit Ronaldo's game time has been scrutinised, with former Dutch international Wim Kieft taking aim at his compatriot for ignoring the serial Ballon d'Or-winning forward.
"It [Ronaldo on the bench] continues to hurt my eyes," said Kieft "Come on… an unexpected end to a great career." He then asked: "Is he on the bench because he's so bad, or has he become such a d***?"
Ten Hag answered his question on Thursday night by giving Ronaldo the benefit of the doubt as the Red Devils played host to Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
The Portugal international was arguably lacking match fitness given his time on the bench but he failed to make any significant mark on the fixture as United were beaten 1-0.
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol reacted to Ronaldo's performance on ESPN and explained why he believes Ten Hag has been making the right call in overlooking the forward, suggesting his decision to do so is purely a footballing one.
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"I'll be honest, when you mention the game, the only thing I have in my head is Ronaldo clean through [on goal] and getting caught by two players," said Nicol. "That's kind of what springs to my mind. And he did have another look.
"He had a couple of other chances, not as good as that one, but there was just something missing. That's what I think about when I think of this game. There wasn't much in it between the two sides, not that many chances in the game.
"But that's the only thing I can think of. The fact that Ronaldo was clean through and looked every one of those 36, 37 years."
