Revealed: How £1,000 earrings sparked Cristiano Ronaldo vs Erik ten Hag row that led to breakdown in relationship & explosive Man Utd exit

Ronaldo has been public in his distaste for ten Hag, previously insisting that the club "need to rebuild everything". Now, the Manchester Evening News has shared a story which gives an insight into how frosty the pair's relationship was during their time at Old Trafford, as the Portugal superstar threw a tantrum over his earrings.

According to the newspaper, ten Hag instructed his players not to wear jewellery during training. Ronaldo had done so under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick but ten Hag had a separate policy. Eventually, ten Hag instructed Steve McClaren, his assistant, to deal with the matter and inform Ronaldo to take the earrings off; he responded by throwing them into a bush.

Ronaldo played just 16 games under ten Hag at United, scoring three goals and laying on two assists. It is a stark contrast to his time under Solskjaer - nine goals in 13 games - and even his tenure playing under Rangnick, as he scored 12 goals in 22 games.

United face Barnsley in the League Cup in midweek. Ronaldo will next be in action on Friday against Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, having been forced out of Al-Nassr's squad for an AFC Champions League clash with Al Shorta through illness.