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Cristiano Ronaldo and Roy Keane had a brief interaction about the forward not featuring in the starting XI ahead of Manchester United's Premier League clash against Liverpool on Monday (August 22).
Erik ten Hag chose to bench the Portugal international for United's 2-1 win over the Reds at Old Trafford. Before the game, Ronaldo approached the Sky Sports panel to greet his former teammates Keane and Gary Neville. During the interaction, the former United captain asked Ronaldo (via Indian Express):
“Benched?”
To which Ronaldo replied:
What do you want me to do?”
Keane said:
"Be in the team.”
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Ronaldo murmured to Keane in response and said:
“I know!”
Ronaldo's interaction with the Sky Sports panel went viral, as the Portuguese forward ignored Jamie Carragher and only greeted Neville and Keane.
A video of the same can be seen below:
It marked the second time in three league games that Ten Hag has benched Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't start for United's loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in their Premier League opener two weeks ago as well.
Manchester United looked good without Cristiano Ronaldo in starting XI
Erik ten Hag opted to go with an attacking trio comprising Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga. The Dutchman wanted a pacey attack that could trouble the Liverpool defense.
Ten Hag's decision paid off after just 15 minutes when Sancho opened the scoring. Rashford then added a second after 53 minutes to double United's lead. Mohamed Salah pulled one back for Liverpool nine minutes from time, but United hung on for their first win of the season.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo being one of the greatest goalscorers in history, he requires service and is not known for his pressing higher up the pitch. The former Real Madrid and Juventus forward only came on with five minutes of regulation time left against the Reds, replacing Rashford.
Cristiano Ronaldo wants a move away from United as he wishes to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Should he stay at the club, however, his game time could drastically reduce.
Anthony Martial is fit again and looks set to start ahead of the Portuguese forward. The Frenchman had a great pre-season and will be expected to lead United's attack this season ahead of Ronaldo.
