- Potter was questioned on Saturday after Chelsea drew with United
- Potter was asked whether Todd Boehly had informed him that Ronaldo might join the team
- Erik ten Hag is not ready to let Ronaldo go
As life for Cristiano Ronaldo gets harder at Manchester United, Chelsea manager Graham Potter is not considering buying him.
This is as the January 2023 transfer window approaches and Ronaldo’s two-year contract lapses with United edges.
Potter was questioned on Saturday after Chelsea drew with United. Potter was asked whether Todd Boehly had informed him that Ronaldo might join the team.
In response, he said that he never talks about non-Chelsea players.
“I never speak about players that aren’t Chelsea players,” he stated.
Graham Potter. Photo by Juan Gasparini | MI NEWS/ : MI News & Sport /Alamy Live News
During the 2022 transfer window, Ronaldo was linked to Chelsea, but Thomas Tuchel, the club’s former manager, had no interest in bringing the Portuguese player to London.
Ronaldo has been at loggerheads with Erik ten Hag following his decision to leave the pitch in the 89th minute of United’s game with Tottenham last week.
When Spurs visited Old Trafford, United trounced them, and the Portuguese forward made a miserable sight sitting on the bench. He isn’t used to being a substitute, and it may have caused the veteran forward to act in this way.
In the 90th minute (with four minutes of added time), a visibly agitated Ronaldo walked down the tunnel, leaving spectators and analysts perplexed by his actions.
According to reports, he fled the stadium after exiting the tunnel rather than waiting for the squad in the locker room.
This season, Erik ten Hag has mainly used the Manchester United front as a substitute, which has frequently infuriated the forward. He was replaced in the 72nd minute against Newcastle United only last week. Ronaldo shook his head in disapproval and stomped off the field in frustration.
In the preseason, Ronaldo committed a similar act by leaving the stadium in his car after being replaced at the break. After 45 minutes of the preseason game, he was benched.
While his team was still in play, he was captured on camera exiting the stadium. Ten Hag said he couldn’t condone this, adding that he should have waited to the end before leaving.
Over the course of 12 games this season, Ronaldo has two goals and one assist. Following his Wednesday walkout, ten Hag promptly dropped Ronaldo from the matchday squad for the Premier League matchup against Chelsea on Saturday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo may miss out on the 2022 World Cup. Photo/Sporting News
Ten Hag also made him train separately from the rest of the team as a punishment.
“I think there has to be consequences for behaviour or when it’s bad behaviour, and it’s the second time, then you can’t let it go because otherwise, it is going to be miserable for the future.
“Then you have to take this measure which I don’t like because I prefer the squad with Cristiano on board.
The Old Trafford manager insists that he has to make decisions based on the overall interest of the club and not on superiority.
However, ten Hag insists that Ronaldo is still a crucial player at Old Trafford. He has also maintained that United could only let him go in June 2023, not January.
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