BERLIN (GERMANY), 7 Sep. (STATS Perform/dpa/EP) –
The manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo, a substitute in the last four games, is in a position to start against Real Sociedad this Thursday in the Europa League debut, at the same time that he assured that the club English has “control” over Marcus Rashford’s future.
Asked at a press conference if Cristiano Ronaldo could return to the starting eleven after linking four games coming off the bench, Ten Hag acknowledged that the veteran striker is in a position to participate from the start, while discussing plans to rotate his team for his calendar European.
“He started against Brentford, then not since, but he’s ready to go,” Ten Hag added. When asked if the Portuguese can be a starter in most games, his coach says “of course”.
Ten Hag pointed out that Manchester United have “to win every game” and “every tournament”, so they need to take it “seriously”, which can create discomfort among players with fewer minutes. “Maybe I can’t keep everyone happy every game, but everyone will get the playing time if they perform well, it’s pretty clear. We need everyone, we have a lot of games to play,” he deepened.
Ten Hag also spoke about Marcus Rashford in the preview of the match against Real Sociedad. The British footballer was widely criticized after last season, but this season he has taken another step forward, accumulating three goals and two assists in his first six games.
“It is difficult for me to talk about the past. What I see is a happy Marcus Rashford. We have worked very hard the last two months with him in different aspects. He likes it, he wants to transfer it to the field,” he said.
Rashford’s contract ends in 2023, although Ten Hag stated that “of course” it is in his long-term plans. “I don’t think he is out of contract, I think United control the situation,” the Dutchman concluded.