Video – Cristiano Ronaldo ‘brutally axed’ by Erik ten Hag during meeting in front of Man Utd squad

The 37-year-old forward’s club future has been a hot topic all summer, and this latest development will only fuel rumors that he may quit United this summer.

Erik ten Hag sacked wantaway Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo from the bench in front of his teammates at a team meeting.

According to The Sun, the new Manchester United manager gathered his players last week before their 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford and told them to share their opinions without regard for the consequences.

During this discussion, United manager Jose Mourinho informed both Ronaldo and club captain Harry Maguire that they would not be starting against Jurgen Klopp’s team. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is said to have kept mute throughout the conversation, while other players are said to have spoken up.

United’s manager is apparently sick of the continual media circus that surrounds Ronaldo and believes it is a threat to the club’s overall fortunes.

Ten Hag’s tolerance was already wearing thin, but Ronaldo’s recent pledge to do a tell-all interview about the endless speculation around his own future is said to have been a step too far in his manager’s eyes.

Ten Hag openly detailed how United’s attitude on the topic had not changed and Ronaldo was not for sale after the 37-year-old striker made it obvious to the club’s management that he wanted out, but that opinion may be slowly moving among some of the Red Devils’ most key individuals.

Ten Hag has reversed his position and is now one of the aforementioned personalities that wants Ronaldo out of the club as soon as possible so that he can fully focus on the necessary rebuilding without frequent questions of his ageing striker.

During a recent two-hour team meeting, the Dutchman allowed all players to speak out as long as he first shared his ideas. Ten Hag even stated that if anyone objected to what he said or his actions, they were free to go through the Old Trafford exit door.

United’s manager made it plain that he was not willing to jeopardize his own image for the sake of players who no longer wanted to be at the club.

His words evidently had the desired effect, as United replied four days later with a superb performance against Liverpool that saw them leapfrog their long-term rivals in the Premier League table.