Erik ten Hag made Cristiano Ronaldo the captain before Aston Villa tore Manchester United apart at the weekend.
In the post-match press conference, Ten Hag was asked to clarify his reasoning for selecting Ronaldo as United captain.
“Harry Maguire is on the bench, our captain of the club," Ten Hag said.
Advert
"Then it is about David de Gea who is a leader but is a goalie and is far away from the outfield. Then Casemiro is the leader but he is not speaking perfect English so then Cristiano is the leader."
Essentially admitting Ronaldo is the fourth-choice captain and due to those reasons, he wore the armband at the weekend.
The United frontman could have been fifth choice had Bruno Fernandes not been suspended for the trip to Villa Park.
Advert
Ex-England midfielder Tim Sherwood has hammered Ten Hag for his comments on the situation.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Sherwood said: "What basically he’s saying, he was fifth choice isn’t he?
"Why he has to justify why he’s given Cristiano Ronaldo the armband, I just don’t know. Just keep your mouth shut."
Advert
Ronaldo made it clear that he wanted to leave the club in the summer but it appeared as though he couldn't find a team that wanted him.
The Portuguese striker has continued to be linked with moves away from Old Trafford but may need to perform well at the World Cup to make that happen.
The man with over 800 career goals has only managed two goals in 16 appearances this season.
Ten Hag's United face Villa again on Thursday night, this time in the Carabao Cup, and on Sunday travel to Fulham for their final match before the World Cup break.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo, Aston Villa, Premier League, Football
Brad Cox