Erik ten Hag explains decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo; 'Have to be clear & honest'

Premier League giants Manchester United recorded their second consecutive win in the Premier League on Saturday by defeating Southampton 1-0 away. While the Red Devils clinched the win, manager Erik ten Hag once again decided to bench both five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and club captain Harry Maguire.

Ten Hag explains decision to bench Ronaldo

While speaking ahead of Manchester United's clash against Southampton, Erik ten Hag said, "As a manager, you have to take clear decisions. The team is always the most important and you make the decision about what is to the advantage of the team. No matter who it is. In your communication, you have to be clear and honest."

During his pre-match interview, the Dutch coach also mentioned giving time to Casemiro, who did come on in the second half. "I think we have a squad that is quite competitive, so there are always difficult decisions. As you say, we had a really good performance on Monday, then you stick to it. There is also to give Casemiro the time, he hasn’t played one game for 90 minutes. He has to adapt to England. He has to adapt to Man United and to give him the time to integrate into the team," explained Ten Hag.

Fernandes scores to help Man United beat Southampton

Manchester United’s stand-in captain Bruno Fernandes made it back-to-back wins for Erik ten Hag’s team by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday. Wearing the captain’s armband in place of the still-benched Harry Maguire, Fernandes steered in a cross from Diogo Dalot in the 55th minute as United followed up Monday’s win over Liverpool with another morale-boosting performance.

Having started the season with two straight losses — including a 4-0 drubbing at Brentford — United has now won consecutive league matches for the first time since February. It was also the team’s first clean sheet of the season, thanks in part to David de Gea’s reflex save to keep out a header from Joe Aribo in the 66th minute.

It's a result that will give a bit more breathing space to Ten Hag, the Dutch manager who faced a torrent of criticism and scepticism after the team’s dismal start to the campaign. Ten Hag’s decisions to leave Maguire and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench were vindicated once again, with centre-back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane looking solid in defence.

(Inputs from AP)