After losing the first two Premier League games of the season, a crisis arose at Manchester United. Defeats to Brighton (1-2) and especially Brenford (0-4) are kind of embarrassing.

At the center of it all is star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who wants to leave the club.

TV 2 football expert Erik Thorstvedt explained to Dagbladet that Erik ten Hag & Co. had to get rid of the Portuguese.

– This is a recipe for disaster. I mean, they should try everything they can to get him out. United have a long way to go to end this chapter. It didn’t solve everything, but the situation was such a distracting factor that it became difficult to build anything in particular with the issues hanging over the Ten Hag.

– So you see the situation is untenable?

– Yes, of course. He’s a fantastic player, no one can beat him for what he has done, but he always puts himself first. It worked, but now he’s proven to be at an age where he’s still scoring goals, but the other things he’s done are limited, and the teams he’s played for are scoring fewer goals overall with him in the team than they did without him. There is no other way but a way out, said Thorstvedt.

– Glad if Ronaldo disappeared

He believes it is “very strange” that Ronaldo would want to leave Manchester United, without much agreeing with a new club, but there may be a Champions League qualifier out there with ice in their bellies waiting to get the 37-year-old free.

– Now a new coach has come who will build a new culture over time, but then the very selfish Ronaldo doesn’t fit in. I think the Ten Hag would be very happy if Ronaldo just disappeared, claims Thorstvedt.

After two straight league defeats, and with Liverpool waiting in the third round, Thorstvedt believes Ten Hag has enough work to do.

– The last thing he needs is Ronaldo who is just an inflamed problem in all. It’s one thing if he’s good, plays hard and scores goals, but this is a guy who’s allergic to sitting on the bench and being substituted.

– Real headache

Longtime TV 2 Premier League commentator yvind Alsaker believes Manchester United and Ronaldo should agree on a collaboration that is fruitful and functioning this season. If that is not possible, the parties must separate.

– He has been a real headache for United – a colossal ego that goes into that, and obviously affects the group of players rather hard, in a negative sense. I think a lot of United’s problems stem from Ronaldo. I felt that they had something going on, but it was impossible to say no to him. “I think maybe Solskjær regrets a little that he signed Ronaldo, but I don’t think he has much choice,” Alsaker told Dagbladet.

He thought it was a “different” Ronaldo who returned to Manchester United last summer. On the other hand, Ronaldo appears selfish in all things. That might be the last thing United need right now, according to the TV 2 profile.

Keep Daddy!

Like Thorstvedt, Alsaker also believes that Ronaldo’s situation in the “Drømmenes Theatre” is untenable.

– He. Just look at United’s season opener. There’s a lot going wrong. Ronaldo shouldn’t be blamed for everything, but I believe that something in that squad seems rotten. You can’t afford it. If you don’t have chemistry in the group, then you will struggle.

– So you suspect Ronaldo includes rotten apples in the basket?

– Yes, it’s an expression loaded for use, but Ronaldo has his own agenda here: It’s not to elevate United to a new level, but his own. I’m pretty sure of that. It’s about him, and he has to succeed. That’s not what the United team here needs, which is a mess. Whether Ronaldo should leave or whether they can do something else, time will tell.

Not suitable

Alskaker recalls that Manchester United finished in second place the season before Ronaldo was signed.

Since then, he believes a lot has changed in United’s wardrobe. He pointed out that Edinson Cavani should give up his shirt number, that Bruno Fernandes was reduced to number two, and that Harry Maguire’s authority as captain was affected.

– Manchester United are in the process of building something new, and then Ronaldo fits in, explains Alsaker.

On Monday next week, Liverpool host the “Drmmenes Theatre”.

– Should Ronaldo start that game?

– It’s hard to say. I don’t know if Anthony Martial will recover. The Ten Hag has several uses there, Alsaker said.

He believes Manchester United have put themselves in a slightly awkward situation up front. He suspects that the club is no longer attractive, but still finds it striking that they are so thin in that position.

– Could ending Ronaldo’s contract be the right way?

– Can. There are players who don’t want to be at United, he wants to play Champions League football. You can say that: “But then he got what he wanted”, but maybe it’s in United’s best interest. They have little to think about, to explain it well.