Ronaldo benched in Manchester Derby 'out of respect' - United boss says

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has explained why star forward Cristiano Ronaldo played no part in the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Ronaldo was a spectator as United suffered proper humiliation from their noisy neighbours at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester City defeated their city rivals 6-3 to claim bragging rights in the city of Manchester.

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were the stars of the showing after scoring a hat-trick apiece while Portuguese superstar, Ronaldo, watched from the bench as an unused substitute.

The Dutchman has provided an insight into why the 38-year-old legend failed to get on the pitch against the rampant Cityzens.

According to the United manager, he decided to leave Ronaldo on the bench 'out of respect' for his achievements in football.

"I wouldn't bring him in out of respect for Cristiano, for his big career," he stated.

"The other thing was the advantage that I could bring on Anthony Martial. He needs the minutes, but I don't want to point it out like that."

Martial came on with the Red Devils down by an embarrassing 6-1 scoreline. But the 26-year-old Frenchman went on to make the result respectable with a wonderful brace.

Ronaldo has appeared as a substitute five times in the Premier League this season, failing to score a single goal.

United will switch focus to the Europa League on Thursday, with Ronaldo hoping to not only play a part but to also start that game.