Erik ten Haag has hailed the return spirit of his Manchester United stars — and defended his decision to ax Cristiano Ronaldo. Ten Haag said: “I have to pay a big compliment to my team. To fight back with a fourth game in ten days, you see the spirit and how they deal with setbacks. “Of course it was a great moment, to get a well-deserved point.” But Ten Haag insisted the equalizer was irrelevant to justifying Ronaldo’s banishment. Dutchman Ten Haag said: “Of course it’s a big moment — but it has nothing to do with this case. “It’s more important to have the right culture, to have the right standards and values. “The long run is always more important, it will put you in the right place in the end.” A tearful Raphael Varane limped off the pitch at Stamford Bridge in tears with his World Cup dream potentially in tatters. The Manchester United centre-back tried to intercept Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Chelsea man sprinted down the left flank. But as the French ace stuck out his leg to make the tackle, his knee went into the turf. Varane then face-planted as he collapsed in sheer agony. And the former Real Madrid man was visibly distressed as he was treated by United’s doctors – knowing the injury could rule him out of the World Cup. Jeremie Frimpong has reportedly been lined up for a surprise move to the Premier League. Manchester United are rumored to be tracking the former City defender. Frimpong joined Celtic in 2019 under former boss Neil Lennon. The Dutch defender arrived at Parkhead with plenty of promise after leaving Manchester City’s academy highly rated. And the youngster won everything there was to win in Scotland, claiming the Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup. He even won the fans’ young player of the year award in 2020 for his performances in green and white. Manchester United may have to let disillusioned superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leave for free in January after failing to receive any offers. Ronaldo, 37, refused to play against Tottenham in Wednesday’s 2-0 win and stormed into the Old Trafford tunnel in injury time before leaving the pitch entirely. As a result, United manager Erik ten Hag has dropped the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for tonight’s clash at Chelsea and ordered him to train alone at Carrington. The star forward’s future with the Red Devils has become uncertain and he could soon be on the move. However, ESPN report that the Red Devils have not been interested in the Portugal international despite making him available since the summer he expressed his desire to leave. According to I, United are even willing to let the 37-year-old go for free in the January transfer window if super agent Jorge Mendes cannot find him a new home.
