EPL: Erik ten Hag speaks on Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire futures at Man Utd

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has emphasised that benching Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire for Monday’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool was not an indication of his lack of confidence in the pair.

Ten Hag made the courageous decision to bench Ronaldo and Maguire after a poor start to the season, and the results were resounding as United romped to a richly deserved victory.

While Maguire was an unutilized substitute as Raphael Varane replaced the excellent Lisandro Martinez, Ronaldo, who has asked to leave the club, entered the game for the final four minutes.

Ten Hag spoke with Sky Sports about the selection decision following the game.

“I have decisions to make,” he said. “I have a squad and we have to use the squad. We play 50-60 games, from game-to-game we will see what team we will pick.

“I don’t have to mention Harry Maguire and Ronaldo, they are amazing players, and they will play a role in the future and the short future as well.”