Ronaldo Needs To Be OK With Being Substituted; Manchester United Boss Rangnick Explains Why

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick explained why Cristiano Ronaldo should get used to being substituted after his side's 3-1 win in the Premier League on Wednesday.

At the 71st minute against Brentford at Old Trafford, Rangnick subbed off Ronaldo to protect his side's 2-0 lead and brought in defender Harry Maguire. The Portuguese star was clearly unhappy with the decision. Ronaldo was seen throwing his coat to the floor as he made his way to Man United's dugout and asking coaching staff, "why me?"

Marcus Rashford netted Manchester United's third goal a few minutes later. Brentford scored a consolation goal before the full-time whistle.

Rangnick, however, defended Ronaldo, saying the reaction from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was "normal."

"That is normal -- a striker wants to score -- but he has come back from a little injury and it was important to remember we have got another game coming up," Rangnick told BT Sport said after the match, ESPN reported.

Rangnick's side ended up drawing the match against Aston Villa last week despite being 2-0 up. Rangnick said he didn't want to see that repeating against Brentford on Wednesday.

"Also after what happened at Villa Park, we had to defend the lead this time and it was important that we went back to a back five and while we didn't keep the clean sheet it was important to make sure nothing else happened," added Rangnick in the same interview.

In the post-match conference, Rangnick revealed his exchange with Ronaldo after substituting the forward, while explaining why he would do it all over again.

"When we scored the third I said that to him and I said maybe when you're a head coach yourself you will hopefully make the same decision. I have no issues with Cristiano. He’s come back from a little injury, he didn't train for one-and-a-half weeks, being 2-0 up with 15 minutes to play, having players like Marcus and Anthony Martial on the bench, why should I not make use of that? That's why I would always do it again in a situation like that," Rangnick said.

Manchester United's next game in the 2021-22 Premier League is a home clash with West Ham on Saturday. The Red Devils are placed seventh in the table with 35 points, while West Ham are in the fourth spot with 37 points.