Erik Ten Hag's First Remarks on Cristiano Ronaldo's Man United Exit

• Erik ten Hag openly spoke for the first time about Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Manchester United
• The Manchester United gaffer was among the individuals who were called out by Ronaldo in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan
• Ten Hag maintains United are looking to the future and the whole debacle involving Ronaldo is a thing of the past

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has opened up for the first time on Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic exit from the club.

In November, Ronaldo severed ties with the club after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan where he called out several stakeholders at United, including Ten Hag.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner sensationally claimed he “did not respect Ten Hag” as he accused the gaffer of lacking respect.

Ten Hag, who is currently with his squad in a winter camp, spoke on Ronaldo’s statement with a short but concise statement.

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As reported on Daily Mail, the former Ajax boss was asked by former footballer and MUTV presenter Danny Webber about how he is handling the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, to which he responded:

“He's gone and it's the past,” he said.

“We are now looking forward and we're looking to the future.”

In the interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo accused Ten Hag and Manchester United chiefs of pushing him out of the club.

The 37-year-old went on to claim he felt betrayed by the club.

Ronaldo’s international woes

Since he is now without a club, Ronaldo seems to have shifted his focus to Portugal, but all is still not well on the international front.

Portugal manager Fernando Santos made a brave call on Tuesday, December 6 as he decided to bench his superstar for Goncalo Ramos.

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Ramos went on to score a hat trick and Ronaldo was introduced late on when the game was already won.

After the match, the former Manchester United man made his way down the tunnel early as his national teammates celebrated with fans.

Why Ronaldo was benched vs Switzerland

Sports Brief earlier reported on Portugal boss Santos’ reasons on why he benched Ronaldo.

Santos disclosed that the move to bench Ronaldo was tactical, insisting there is no bad blood between him and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

"Cristiano and Ramos are different players. There is no problem with the captain of the national team," he said.

"It was strategic. Players are different. I also started [Diogo] Dalot, Raphael [Guerreiro], however [Joao] Cancelo is a fabulous player.