Will Cristiano Ronaldo start for Man Utd against Brentford?
Robin Bairner
- 12 Aug 2022 13:32 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo could make his first Manchester United start of the season against Brentford on Saturday, despite ongoing questions over his long-term commitment to the club.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has spent the summer pushing to leave Man Utd but may be forced to stay because of a lack of alternatives.
He missed much of pre-season and was absent from the tour to Thailand and Australia. He made his return to action a week before the Premier League season began during a friendly with Rayo Vallecano but was made to sit on the bench for the first 50 minutes of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton, despite the fact that the Red Devils lacked a centre forward.
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Manager Erik ten Hag preferred to play Christian Eriksen as a false 9 against the Seagulls as Anthony Martial missed out because of injury. The Frenchman will again be missing this weekend, Ten Hag has confirmed, but does that mean Ronaldo will start?
"So he had a good training week," Ten Hag explained, referencing Ronaldo. "I thought he played a little bit longer than half an hour; he's had two half games and for the starting XI we will see tomorrow. My decision, I keep it.”
Following last weekend’s loss against Brighton, Ten Hag is already under pressure to gain a positive result. Ronaldo’s presence on the field made a difference to the team a week ago, and the odds must be in favour of the Portuguese starting this encounter.
Known for his fitness levels, even at the age of 37, Ronaldo’s greatest issue is likely to be a lack of match sharpness.
Transfer window failures cranking up pressure
It’s been another difficult week for Man Utd in the transfer market. Links to Marko Arnautovic have seen them mocked, while the fanbase is unhappy with the prospect of Adrien Rabiot arriving from Juventus. Meanwhile, Frenkie de Jong appears to be heading for Chelsea.
All this on top of poor results and the Ronaldo sage have left Ten Hag and his side needing a win more than ever.
