‘I sleep well’ - Erik ten Hag explains Cristiano Ronaldo decision for Manchester United vs Liverpool

Erik ten Hag said he slept well after making the call to drop Cristiano Ronaldo in the Old Trafford game against Liverpool in August, a decision that accelerated the forward's departure from the club in November.

Ronaldo pushed for a move away from Old Trafford in the summer but ended up staying at United. Having started the 4-0 defeat at Brentford, he was then dropped to the bench against Liverpool and came on for just the final four minutes of a 2-1 victory.

That success provided the lift-off for the Ten Hag era but also hinted at what was to come from Ronaldo. He found it difficult to nail down a place in the side, was punished for refusing to come on against Tottenham and then had his contract terminated by mutual consent after giving an unauthorized interview to Piers Morgan.

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But ahead of the reverse fixture this weekend, Ten Hag insisted the decision to drop Ronaldo for the third game of his reign was "obvious" and that he lost no sleep over it. It was the first of several brave calls from the new United manager, but they have paid off and he heads to Anfield still in contention to win four trophies.

Reflecting on the first major decision of his spell in charge at Old Trafford, Ten Hag said he was willing to face the consequences of leaving Ronaldo out, having determined it was a call he had to make.

"I have to see and face the consequences of it, the impact of the decisions not only in the short-term but also for the longer-term. Of course, you don’t always have a lot of time, in that period I remember we had 10 days so I could consider which choice would be the best," he said.

"You always have to think strategic, what is the consequence