Roy Keane has accused Manchester United of disrespecting Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese was left as an unused substitute in their loss to Manchester City.
Ronaldo has not got off to a good start to the 22/23 season, with the 37-year-old seemingly losing his place in Manchester United’s starting eleven.
Ronaldo has appeared in eight games for Man Utd so far in the 22/23 season. But only three of them have been like a start. The rest have been appearances from the bench.
Ronaldo has also struggled to score goals this season. He has only scored one goal for the Red Devils so far this season. That also came in his eighth game of the season for the Old Trafford side.
Man Utd should have sold Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, claims Roy Keane
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has criticized club manager Erik ten Hag’s treatment of the Portuguese superstar.
Keane insisted that Man Utd should have sold Ronaldo in the summer transfer window.
Ronaldo was linked with a move away from Man Utd in the summer. Reports said that Ronaldo had asked Man Utd to allow him to leave if they received a suitable offer.
Man Utd insisted Ronaldo is not for sale, while interest in the Portuguese was also slim. He ended up staying at the club.
Keane claims that Man Utd should not have latched on to Ronaldo just to keep him sitting on the bench.
“I think Man United is disrespecting Ronaldo. I think I should have been let go before the [closing] out the window,” Keane told Sky Sports.
“Okay, you’re the coach, you need options, but you don’t cling to Ronaldo to make him sit on the bench. He is one of the best players of all time.
“He has played against him in one or two European games. He is going to get uglier as the season goes on.
“If he’s sitting on the United bench, week after week, it’s going to get uglier. I think United have shown nothing but disrespect to Ronaldo.
“They should have let him go when the opportunity came. I had options, I know for sure.
“But holding on to Ronaldo to sit on the bench, I think is ridiculous for a player of his stature.”
Man Utd suffer a tough defeat at the hands of Man City
Meanwhile, Man Utd suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Manchester City in their recent Premier League game.
Man City hosted Man Utd at the Etihad Stadium and humiliated their local rivals, securing a 6-3 win. Both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored hat-tricks to propel City to a win over Ten Hag’s side.
The defeat leaves Manchester United sixth in the Premier League points table. They have 12 points from their first seven games in the English top flight this season. They are nine points behind league leaders Arsenal, who have played one more game.
Meanwhile, Man City now have 20 points from their opening eight games and are just one point behind Arsenal.
