Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has slammed the criticism of Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo during the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Manchester United boss Ten Hag opted to leave the Portuguese international on the substitutes bench as his side lost 6-3 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. When the United manager was asked why he didn't play Ronaldo, he told reporters after the game that it was 'out of respect for his big career' that he wasn't introduced.
The decision not to bring the former Real Madrid man on against Pep Guardiola's side led to criticism of Ten Hag, but ex-Liverpool centre back and Sky Sports pundit Carragher has hit out at people questioning the Dutchman. Writing on Twitter, Carragher said the idea that Ten Hag 'got it wrong' by not playing Ronaldo at City was 'laughable'.
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"The idea that Erik ten Hag got it wrong yesterday by not playing Ronaldo is laughable!" he wrote.
"Ronaldo played at Brentford when it was 4-0 at half-time. It’s not a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo, but Rashford’s pace on the counter attack as we saw vs. Arsenal [and] Liverpool was the best option."
Ronaldo has started just three matches for United so far this season, with Ten Hag utilising the veteran forward as an impact substitute in recent weeks. Instead, the Dutchman has opted to use Marcus Rashford as a central striker, with the England international repaying the faith by scoring against Liverpool and Arsenal before the international break.
The Reds, who had won four successive Premier League matches prior to the derby defeat to City, face off against Cypriot side Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday night.
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