"You have got to be there when your teammates need you" - Gary Neville slams Cristiano Ronaldo for snubbing Manchester United fans
It was a frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United as the Red Devils only got a point against 19th placed Newcastle United.
Gary Neville, who was already furious with the sub-par performance from the team, went on to slam Cristiano Ronaldo in particular. He criticized the Portuguese captain for not acknowledging the away United fans after the match.
Manchester United fans were happy to see the performance of their team in the first match under new interim manager Ralf Ranganick against Crystal Palace. They praised the Red Devils' intense and high pressing football. Unfortunately, just three matches later, United seem to have given up on that style of play.
Gary Neville on Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes complaining and not clapping the fans at full-time." #mulive [@footballdaily] https://t.co/y33yRSzLNU
The unsatisfying performance against Newcastle United has disappointed many experts and fans and Gary Neville was among them.
Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, the Manchester United legend was critical of the players' commitment towards the game. However, the most talked about criticism from Neville went towards his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
After the match, most of the Manchester United players stayed on the pitch to acknowledge the away fans' support of the Red Devils. However, Cristiano snubbed the process and went straight into the tunnel after the match.
This irked Neville as the former United player. Neville criticized the actions of the Portuguese.
"You've got to be there when your team-mates need you in those moments. At the end of the day, I love that lad [Ronaldo], he's the best I've ever seen in my life at times, but don't run off like that. I'm not having that. I don't care how you've played, You need to go over and clap the fans at the end of the game. Get over to them, particularly when you're the best player in the world, and one of the greatest of all time." said Gary Neville.
Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had a quiet game against Newcastle United
Fans expected Cristiano Ronaldo to turn up against Newcastle United for the Red Devils. He had done so in his first game back for United by scoring two goals at Old Trafford.
However, Newcastle were well organized last night under new manager Eddie Howe. Ronaldo had a tough time finding space to score a goal for his team.
#MUFC lost possession 167 times against Newcastle, their most in the Premier League this season.
Is the 4-2-2-2 formation really the answer?
@lauriewhitwell takes a look...
theathletic.com/3038690/?sourc…
Cristiano Ronaldo's body language was also uncomfortable to watch as the five-time Ballon D'Or winner expressed his frustrations during the game. It was certainly not a night to remember for United fans as their players let them down with a poor performance.