Cristiano Ronaldo was booed by his own fans prior to Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford.
In Erik ten Hag’s debut game in charge of United which ended in a defeat due to a brace from Pascal Gross in the opening half, Ronaldo came on as a substitute.
The 37-year-old already informed the team that he wants to go because he wants to play in the Champions League, but no bidders have surfaced. He returned to the club’s lineup for the friendly match against Rayo Vallecano last week.
He did, however, enrage Ten Hag by leaving the match at halftime without the club’s consent, and the Dutchman called Ronaldo and other players’ actions “unacceptable.”
Ronaldo came off the bench on Sunday as United looked to change the outcome in the second half.
Disgruntled home fans booed loudly, some of which occurred as Ronaldo entered the field before the Premier League opener kick-off.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was booed when he emerged from the tunnel to warm up with other substitutes ahead of the game, based on the visuals of a video United tweeted.
Wayne Rooney, United’s all-time leading scorer, and longtime captain Gary Neville both believe that Ronaldo’s previous club should allow him to depart this summer.
However, Roy Keane, another Red Devils captain, feels the team cannot replace him owing to a lack of offensive options.
Keane claimed on Sky Sports that “you can’t let Ronaldo go out the door and expect Martial is going to be the answer, Martial isn’t the answer.
“He’s had a decent pre-season? Big deal.
“They haven’t got enough options at this moment in time. That might change in the next few weeks but from a footballing point of view, you just have to hold on to Ronaldo.
“You can’t let him go when you haven’t got the back-up behind it.”
What happened to Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford?
In a club-shared video, United supporters can be seen cheering players on as they enter the field before the match against Brighton. However, the atmosphere immediately changed when Ronaldo exits the tunnel, and those cheers quickly turn into jeers.
Ten Hag’s preseason training was largely overshadowed by Ronaldo’s attempts to engineer a quick exit, which have divided the United fanbase.
However, given the scarcity of center attacking options available to Ten Hag, the club is still desperately trying to persuade their star to stay put.
After ignoring Ronaldo, the former Ajax manager watched his team lose to the Seagulls thanks to a superb double from Pascal Gross.
Alexis Mac Allister’s late own goal cut the margin in half, but United’s damage was already done as they were booed off the field in both halves.
