Manchester United: What Erik Ten Hag Said After Ronaldo Exits Ground Before Final Whistle

Erik ten Hag has said he would "deal" with Cristiano Ronaldo later after the Portuguese forward exited the Old Trafford tunnel even before the final whistle Wednesday.

The incident happened during Manchester United's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. While Bruno Fernandes and Fred scored for Red Devils, the 37-year-old forward remained an unused substitute.

In a post-match interview, when a reporter asked Ten Hag if he spoke to Ronaldo about his early exit, the Dutch boss replied, "He was there, I have seen him, but I didn't speak with him."

Ten Hag told reporters his focus was on the team and he didn't want to pay attention to anything else.

"I don't pay attention to that, I will deal with that tomorrow. I want to keep the focus on the team. It was magnificent from all 11 players. I have to correct myself. It was also a performance by the substitutes who came on. Once again, it was a squad performance. I think what we have seen is 11 players who defend and 11 who attack. I was pleased," Ten Hag said.

The latest victory over Spurs marked Manchester United's sixth win of the 2022-23 Premier League season. With 19 points in 10 games, the Red Devils are placed fifth in the league table but are still eight points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Fernandes now has scored two goals and provided as many assists in 14 games for Manchester United across competitions this season.

Fernandes received well-deserving praise from Ten Hag, who said the Portuguese midfielder played a "magnificent game today."

"Bruno scored, eh? I know it will come with him. Sometimes, you have appearances where you don't score but, all of a sudden, you've found the back of the net. I think, for Bruno, it is important that he scored a goal but he played a magnificent game today," added Ten Hag.

Manchester United have a chance to enter the top four of the league table Saturday when they travel to London to take on Chelsea. The Blues are in the fourth spot with 20 points and the winner of the game at Stamford Bridge will claim the No. 4 spot.