Cristiano Ronaldo is a familiar issue Manchester United now have to deal with

In the recent past, journalists were dubbed “w*****s” by a budding press conference attendant for challenging Erik ten Hag. Now a journalist is applauded for challenging Ten Hag.

Two years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo was wrong for questioning Ten Hag. Now Ronaldo is right.

Any sound-of-mind Manchester United supporter sided with Ten Hag after Ronaldo conducted that incendiary interview that was grounds for divorce in November 2022. Ronaldo had mentally checked out and United were better off without him.

Ronaldo is still singing from the same hymn sheet but Ten Hag’s United are playing a different tune. They’re out of tune.

Ten Hag’s repetitive rhetoric in interviews and at press conferences is not serving him well and downplaying United’s prospects, while realistic, is not bullish enough for supporters familiar with the gravitas of Busby, Docherty, Atkinson, Ferguson and Mourinho.

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"We still need to catch up," was Ten Hag's take during pre-season. Sir Jim Ratcliffe struck a similar note on a prospective championship challenge this season. Ineos urge employees, “Don’t do dumb s**t.” Signing a centre half based on his form five years ago rather than in the past five years could possibly qualify as that.

“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League,” Ronaldo scoffed during his chat with Rio Ferdinand. “Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the league or Champions League.

"You have to be, to mentally say, ‘listen, maybe we don't have that potential, but I cannot say that. We're going to try’. You have to try.”

Ferdinand is reputedly due