Erik ten Hag insists Manchester United are now building up for the future after the controversial exit of Cristiano Ronaldo last month. With most of their top players involved in the ongoing World Cup for their respective nations, ten Hag is currently working with the second-string side. The entire squad was in Spain yesterday to play a friendly against Cadiz, which they lost to 4-2.

Ten Hag said the club has issued directives to all the players to return soon after their journey in the World Cup ends. Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, Fred, Casemiro, Marcus Rashford are some of the players who will be in action in the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2022.

“We make the players aware of the fact that, after you are out of the World Cup, you have to return to the club and the league immediately goes on. You have to be ready for that, but I think our players are used to it,” said ten Hag to MUTV.

However, the Dutch manager wasn’t willing to discuss the saga of Cristiano Ronaldo, stating “he’s gone and it’s the past. We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future.”

Ronaldo is currently with the Portuguese team, where his absence from the starting XI in the quarter-final against Switzerland caused a lot of furore. Ronaldo was largely ineffective in the three group stage games, compelling Fernando Santos to replace him with the debutant Goncalo Ramos, who announced himself with a hat-trick. Ronaldo is unlikely to start in the next game, a quarter-final against Morocco.

It was the explosive interview with Piers Morgan that hastened his decline, forcing Manchester United to prematurely terminate his contract, albeit on mutual agreement, and other European clubs to turn their back on him. In the interview, Ronaldo lashed out at ten Hag for showing disrespect, the young players for showing no dedication, and the club hierarchy for bringing stagnancy. Ronaldo is currently unemployed, and rumours had it that he might move to Saudi Arabia after the World Cup.

Lead Image: Cristiano Ronaldo/Twitter