Erik ten Hag has opened on why he kept Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting XI for the majority of the opening fixtures this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has not had a good start to the season, having been benched for many of Manchester United's fixtures so far.
After starting in the disgraceful 4-0 loss to Brentford early on in the Premier League season, Ronaldo spent a series of matches on the bench and looked to have his heart set on leaving the club in the window just passed.
Advert
The topic has been of much conversation between fans and pundits alike, most recently when he spent the full 90 minutes on the bench during a 6-3 drudging to Manchester City.
Many have speculated that Erik ten Hag is not happy or impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Dutch manager has dispelled these rumours.
"I want to support him [Ronaldo] as good as possible," Ten Hag said on Wednesday.
"We have certain demands from players, what we expect in certain positions. I want to get the best out of him, he's in better shape now and I'm happy with that."
Advert
Cristiano Ronaldo, for personal reasons, missed all but one game of Manchester United's pre-season tour.
He played 45 minutes in the final match against Rayo Vallecano, however missed the other five fixtures.
Erik ten Hag has explained that Ronaldo not starting early on in the season was due to a lack of fitness due to the fact that he did not take part in pre-season.
"At the start, it [a lack of fitness] was the case," he said. "It's proven once again [that] no one can miss a pre-season."
Advert
Realistically, this decision is an obvious and sensible one, especially considering that as Ronaldo ages, the way his minutes and body are managed becomes an ever more delicate job to reduce the risk of injury and decline.
Ronaldo has recently started to rediscover his devastating scoring touch, finishing smartly against Everton in what turned out to be the match-winning goal.
However, last season away against Everton was a different story, where the match ended with Ronaldo hitting a phone from the hand of a fan who was abusing him at full time.
Recently, the FA have decided to charge Ronaldo for the incident, however Ten Hag has confirmed that Ronaldo will not be accepting the charge.
Advert
When questioned on the charge, Ten Hag said: "You mean, from last year? We will talk about that and he will not accept it."
With Anthony Martial out injured, Cristiano Ronaldo may be expected to start against Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday.
Despite his poor form in recent weeks, there is no doubt that Ronaldo is still a brilliant striker on his day, and that he can be of big help in a long season for Erik ten Hag's men.
United will aim to top Group E in the coming weeks, as only the winners of each Europa League group will automatically qualify for the round of 16 knockout stage.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik Ten Hag