Erik ten Hag names 6 leaders in Manchester United including Cristiano Ronaldo after Aston Villa defeat

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed his team's six leaders in the dressing room, including wantaway star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, 37, wore the armband during the Red Devils' 3-1 Premier League loss at Aston Villa on Sunday (6 November) in the absence of the benched Harry Maguire and suspended Bruno Fernandes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd captain today. Ten Hag: “Nothing changed, when you are captain and leader you have to set an example and that is what I expect from him”. 🔴 #MUFC

“He’s important part of the squad, we are happy with him & leader role”, tells @ShamoonHafez. https://t.co/ktPWhjxIps

Facing an inspired Aston Villa, Manchester United slumped to their first loss in ten matches. Leon Bailey, and Lucas Digne put the hosts in front inside 11 minutes before Jacob Ramsey scored an own goal. However, Ramsey made amends with a cool finish four minutes after the break, much to the elation of new manager Unai Emery.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, Ten Hag shed light on his captaincy choices in the absence of the usual stalwarts Maguire and Fernandes. He said (via Manchester Evening News):

"It's about Harry Maguire is on the bench. Bruno is our captain, not available, and then it's about David de Gea: leader, but goalie is far away from the outfield."

He added:

"Licha [Martinez] can be a leader, Casemiro is not speaking 100% perfect English, and then Cristiano is the leader. Especially [he] is the leader of the team, so he has the band, clear."

Ronaldo, who was dropped from the Red Devils' squad for refusing to come on as a substitute last month, has donned the armband on two previous occasions. He was given the responsibility under Sir Alex Ferguson against Bolton Wanderers in March 2008 and under Ralf Rangnick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January.

So far, Ronaldo has netted three goals and laid out two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions for the Old Trafford outfit this season.

🙃 Cristiano Ronaldo has committed more fouls (7) than he has had shots on target (6) in the Premier League this season https://t.co/kQbaQ6fLyw

Fabrizio Romano provides transfer update on Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo

In his column for Caught Offside, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano addressed Newcastle United being in the race for the signature of Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo. He wrote:

"There's plenty of Cristiano Ronaldo speculation doing the rounds, and one story stated that Newcastle have decided against signing him. Newcastle always wanted to go down a different path with a focus on young players. No news on him, as things stand."

Napoli were linked with a permanent move for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner during the final days of the summer transfer window. Shedding light on the Serie A side's pursuit, Romano added:

"I've seen reports that Napoli are now the most likely destination for him, but that's not my current understanding of the situation. Napoli have [Victor] Osimhen, [Giovanni] Simeone and [Giacomo] Raspadori as strikers, so I don't see them joining the race for him in January."

Although the player is in the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, Manchester United have the option to extend his deal by another year.