Erik ten Hag knows Man Utd stars discussed Ronaldo's behaviour behind his back

Everything is moving in the right direction for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.

The Red Devils are unbeaten since October 2 and have shot up to fifth in the Premier League table, a point behind Eddie Howe's Newcastle in fourth with a game in hand over the Magpies.

Off the pitch, things have arguably been looking up even more for Ten Hag. The Dutchman inherited a fragmented squad where much internal squabbling made its way outside the dressing room walls. Now, his Red Devils side appears unified and his new signings - particularly Casemiro, Antony and Lisandro Martinez - have settled in seamlessly.

The one minor problem putting a slight dampener on the fun is the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo situation.

In the summer, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner made it clear he wanted to leave Old Trafford due to United failing to secure Champions League football last season and the players having their wages docked as a result.

But Ronaldo was unable to secure a move elsewhere and has now found first-team football hard to come by at United.

The 37-year-old has made only one Premier League start under Ten Hag this season, coming in the 4-0 hammering away at Brentford, and has largely only been used in the Europa League.

In United's recent 2-0 win over Tottenham, Ronaldo hit the headlines despite getting on the pitch when he stormed down the tunnel two minutes before the game had finished after being informed he wouldn't be coming on.

Ten Hag handled the situation well, dropping the forward from his squad for the game with Chelsea before reintroducing him ahead of United's Europa League venture.

Ten Hag made it clear his United side would be closing ranks this campaign and has knuckled down on private information leaks.

As a result, it's unclear exactly what the Red Devils squad think of the current Ronaldo situation, with only minor clues emerging from interviews.

Martinez, for example, recently admitted he wasn't aware Ronaldo wasn't part of United's celebrations following the win over Spurs, suggesting the forward's authority is starting to dwindle.

But despite this blip in Ronaldo's career it is important to remember what the Portugal international has done in the game and, as a result, how he influences things behind the scenes.

Former United keeper Lee Grant spoke out about Ronaldo in 2021, shortly after he rejoined the club from Juventus, and explained how Red Devils stars were discussing behind his back how they can follow his example - starting with their diet.

Grant told Talksport: "To give you one instance of the impact he is having on the group, this was Friday night in the hotel.

"So, as you guys will be aware, you finish your dinner and usually on a Friday night you've got some cheat stuff out. You've got some apple crumble and custard or you've got a bit of brownie and cream.

"I tell you now, not one player touched the apple crumble and custard, not one player went up for that brownie because everybody was sat down.

"One of the lads said to me, 'What has Cristiano got on his plate?' Obviously, it is the cleanest, most healthy plate you can imagine."

Around the same time, former United star Dimitar Berbatov spoke to Mirror Football about Ronaldo and explained how his dressing room demeanour was much the same during his first stint at the club.

"[He was] always sure of himself and his quality," Berbatov told Mirror Football.

"I never saw him miss a training session, not ever to be honest. He was always training the right way and always stayed late after a training session to work on his free kicks and his cutting into the box and shooting.

"Even after that, it was to the gym and then the swimming pool to take care of himself so he could get faster, stronger, well-balanced and we saw the results after that."

Ten Hag may no longer see a place for Ronaldo in his best starting XI but it is apparent he respects the influence the Portugal international has behind the scenes at United - he knows his players look up to him.

And despite the recent problems sparking negative press on what has, to this point, been an excellent campaign for United, what Ronaldo appears to do behind the scenes at Old Trafford cannot be questioned.

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