Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic believes the way Cristiano Ronaldo handled himself in the final stages of his second Old Trafford spell helped Erik ten Hag succeed.
Ronaldo left United under a cloud in November following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV. During the conversation, the Portuguese legend took aim at Ten Hag, the club and the Glazers in a bombshell discussion.
Four days after part two of the interview aired, Ronaldo and the Reds mutually parted ways and the 38-year-old went on to sign for Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr. Since his exit, Ten Hag's men have performed well, are on course to finish in the top four and have a second Wembley final to look forward to against Manchester City in the FA Cup having already won the Carabao Cup.
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Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on the FIVE Podcast, Vidic explained how Ten Hag benefitted from the Ronaldo incident as it allowed the boss to assert his authority.
"I think the Cristiano Ronaldo situation helped Ten Hag," Vidic said. "What Cristiano Ronaldo said made it easy for him to do it [allow him to leave]. I think in general he [Ten Hag] was patient with this situation and in the end he gets what he wants in terms of Man United playing more like a team than in the last four or five years."
United's main target in the summer transfer window is a new striker and MEN Sport understands Harry Kane is Ten Hag's first choice. But Vidic is unsure on what United's next move should be.
"If you ask me honestly, I would say that it is not just a striker [that United need]," he said. "I think that definitely the players who win you the title is the players who are playing in the middle. That is a striker, midfield player and two central defenders.
"Everything else you can do it but this is the heart of the team. I think striker is the toughest question you can ask me. I would not buy a striker if I am not sure about them. Thing with Kane, how much money would you have to spend and how old is he? He is a top striker for the last 10 years, he will score the goals but definitely there are other options."
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