Man Utd stars 'unimpressed' with Ronaldo request highlights his influence

Cristiano Ronaldo's influence on his Manchester United teammates was all anyone could talk about when he first arrived at Old Trafford, with reports that the rest of the Red Devils were following his eating habits.

Former back-up goalkeeper Lee Grant revealed that other United players had started skipping dessert having been inspired to do so by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Ronaldo is a famed fitness fanatic and takes extra care of his physique.

It is one of the biggest factors behind why the forward has been able to prolong his career for as long as he has while operating at the highest level for one of the world's biggest clubs.

Discussing Ronaldo's 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."

That's not to say they copied every meal Ronaldo had, with one source telling The Sun that the former Real Madrid man's liking of octopus did not rub off on his teammates.

In what could be the first recorded example of United's impressionable stars not following the striker's lead, the source explained how many couldn't bring themselves to chow down on octopus and were in fact 'unimpressed' that he requested it.

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"He also loves octopus, but most of the lads won't go there - even if it clearly works for Ronny," the source told The Sun.

"Cristiano is very much into his proteins, stuff like slices of ham, eggs and avocados, and the chefs are trying to help him with a little taste of home."

Just over a year later, the 37-year-old's grip on the United dressing room appears to be loosening, though that isn't exactly down to what he puts on his plate. Ronaldo's attitude has been under scrutiny for some time now, but things came to a head during last week's 2-0 win over Tottenham.

The forward refused to come off the bench and instead opted to storm down the Old Trafford tunnel minutes before the full-time whistle had blown. In response, manager Erik ten Hag decided to temporarily ban him from the first-team fold and exiled Ronaldo for the away trip to Chelsea.

Ronaldo has since returned to training and both Ten Hag and the forward should be careful when it comes to their next move. From the manager's perspective, it is clear that his wantaway star still commands a lot of respect among certain sections of the dressing room.

Making an example of Ronaldo and trying to force him out in a very public way could backfire for Ten Hag and see him come across as worse in the eyes of some of his players.

However, at the same time the United dressing room nowadays has a few different characters in it from the one Ronaldo entered last summer. Not only that, a number of high-profile figures that greeted the Premier League icon have since left for new challenges elsewhere.

Lisandro Martinez is one of those who only joined in the summer transfer window just gone and it would seem clear from his most recent comments that his loyalties are certainly with the boss.

Pressed for comment on his view of Ronaldo walking down the tunnel last week, the Argentine admitted: "I didn't see anything, I don't know. I only enjoy with the people, we won, and that's important."

The comments marked just how peripheral Ronaldo is becoming within this United team. No longer the star, the goal machine is hardly ageing gracefully as he struggles to come to terms with the fact he isn't essential to things as he'd like at Old Trafford.

As the weeks go by and Ten Hag continues to impress by overseeing some important wins, such as the one against Tottenham, it is likely that the amount of allies the Dutchman gets in the United dressing room continues to grow - potentially at the expense of Ronaldo.

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