Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has indicated that Cristiano Ronaldo will have more of a role to play in the team once he gets back to full fitness.
The Portugal international missed a large chunk of Man Utd’s pre-season, so it perhaps makes sense that his manager doesn’t quite feel he’s up to speed yet, or ready to go the distance over a full 90 minutes.
Ronaldo scored a penalty in tonight’s 2-0 Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol, and Ten Hag was happy with him as he discussed his situation after the game.
The Dutch tactician insisted Ronaldo remains fully committed to the cause, and that he’s not far away now from being able to make more of a contribution…
Ten Hag on Ronaldo: "He's really close, when he gets more fitness he will score more. He's totally committed to this project, totally involved, he also has connections that are coming around him (on the pitch) + he is constructing connections so I'm happy with that." #MUFC
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) September 15, 2022
As quoted by Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, Ten Hag said: “He’s really close, when he gets more fitness he will score more.
“He’s totally committed to this project, totally involved, he also has connections that are coming around him (on the pitch) and he is constructing connections so I’m happy with that.”
United fans will be pleased to see that this situation seems to have resolved itself after a difficult summer of speculation surrounding Ronaldo and how his absence from pre-season might affect his relationship with Ten Hag and his role in the new manager’s plans.