Cristiano Ronaldo refused to hide his anguish after Manchester United’s dismal defeat to Brentford on Saturday, throwing his arms up in the air as he trudged off the pitch and ignoring Erik ten Hag completely. United were in desperate need of a better performance after their disappointing loss to Brighton last week.
Ten Hag made just one change from that side with Ronaldo coming in to start in place of Scott McTominay in a change of shape for United. But United appeared under prepared and overwhelmed from the very first minute as Brentford were relentless in their pressing high up the pitch.
David de Gea was guilty of two howlers that gifted Brentford a 2-0 lead and United appeared to collapse after that. Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo added two more goals before the 36th minute with United players looking shellshocked.
The damage was already done at that point with United going through the motions in the second half. Ronaldo cut a forlorn figure for most of the match as he attempted to find some form of consolation for United.
The Portuguese superstar had a handful of half chances but never truly troubled David Raya. As the final whistle blew, United players were seen hanging their heads as they left the pitch with Ten Hag standing by his dugout.
Ronaldo was one of the first players down the tunnel and was spotted gesturing towards the United bench. He appeared to be showing his frustration with a number of United coaches coming up to shake his hand.