"You should always start with your best player."
That was the advice Sir Alex Ferguson had for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he left Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Everton last season. The Scot had been talking with UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov in the immediate aftermath of the match at Old Trafford and made the comment after the Russian tried to put a positive spin on the result.
Erik ten Hag had the opportunity to follow Ferguson's advice in his first game in charge of Man United this weekend, as his side played host to Brighton, but opted against doing so.
Ten Hag named Ronaldo on the bench, explaining to the press that the 37-year-old wasn't match-fit as he didn't have a pre-season with the Red Devils. "I cannot say [when Ronaldo will be back in the starting XI]," he said. "It depends on how quickly he is progressing. He will do everything to get to the fitness levels as soon as possible."
Instead, Ten Hag selected midfielder Christian Eriksen to play an unfamiliar false nine role, despite the Dane not having a pre-season with the Red Devils either following his free transfer to United.
The decision proved instantly costly, with Eriksen isolated up top and dropping deeper and deeper to get in on the action, leaving United with no attacking outlet.
Ten Hag made the necessary change in the second half, replacing Fred with Ronaldo and moving the five-time Ballon d'Or winner up front with Eriksen dropping into a deep, central midfield position.
Should Erik ten Hag start Cristiano Ronaldo against Brentford? Let us know in the comments below!
After the match Ten Hag admitted his mistake in leaving Ronaldo out, telling the press: "It is clear to see [that in] the second half we were better in midfield with Eriksen down and Ronaldo up. We created and [Marcus] Rashford had two good chances, it is a shame we did not score."
The United players also agreed with this assessment, with Diogo Dalot saying: "I think as soon as we saw Eriksen was going to have a lot of time on the ball freely, that's when everything started to be more dynamic up front."
Much was made about whether Ten Hag would start Ronaldo against Brighton after he told the club he wants to leave for a side playing in the Champions League this season.
Ten Hag appeared to leave the Portugual international out to put down a marker more than anything else, making it clear to the world that he will not bow to the pressure of any individual.
But it is likely Ronaldo will return to the starting XI for United's next fixture against Brentford on Saturday as Anthony Martial continues his return to fitness.
