There is a chance that Cristiano Ronaldo will finally have a starting place at Manchester United on Thursday evening. The 37-year-old attacker had to make four consecutive appearances in the Premier League after the embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brentford in mid-August. However, manager Erik ten Hag is now seriously considering a base place for Ronaldo in the Europa League match with Real Sociedad.
“Ronaldo was in the starting lineup against Brentford (on August 13, ed.) and then no longer. But he is ready to start,” Ten Hag emphasized on Wednesday at the press moment in the run-up to the start of the group stage in the Europa League. . “And of course he can participate in the majority of the matches.” However, the Dutch manager cannot yet say with certainty that Ronaldo will appear at kick-off against Sociedad. The necessary changes can be expected, but the Europa League is nevertheless a serious matter for Ten Hag.
?? @DalotDiogo: “We could see the impact [Antony] had straight away in our team.
“He adapted really quickly in his few days in training and in the game. Everyone has welcomed him and I’m sure he’ll be very successful here.”#MUFC || #UEL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 7, 2022
“We want to win every match and every tournament, so we take everything very seriously. That is also the mentality that Manchester United need,” Ten Hag tells his group of players. To immediately add: “Maybe I can’t keep every player happy every game, but everyone gets to play, provided they perform well. That much is clear.” Marcus Rashford, twice accurate against Arsenal, is in any case good at Ten Hag. “I see a happy Marcus. He comes in every day with a smile and a positive vibe around him. When you’re happy, you contribute more to the team.”
Ten Hag is also asked at the press conference about his opinion about the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. However, he was reluctant to dwell long on sending his colleague away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t say much else about it. That’s a matter for Chelsea, not Manchester United. But it is true that it is quite early in the season.” Tuchel was fired from Chelsea the day after the 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the group stage of the Champions League.
Diogo Dalot, who has also joined, discusses Antony’s first days in England, who graced his debut at Manchester United with the opening goal against Arsenal. “He immediately had an impact on the team on Sunday,” said the Portuguese right back. “It takes some time to get used to each other, but I expect Antony will adapt very well. He is a good boy who likes to be helped. I am sure he will be successful here.”