Ronaldo wants to STAY at Man Utd – Ten Hag
Robin Bairner
- 13 Aug 2022 08:42 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is insistent that Cristiano Ronaldo does not want to leave the football club.
Man Utd’s summer has been dominated by the transfer speculation surrounding the 37-year-old forward, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the club.
FootballTransfers understands that Ronaldo wishes to leave Old Trafford in a bid to get Champions League football, while he is unhappy with the lack of competitiveness of the club and also the manner in which standards have plummeted since his first time at the club.
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Ten Hag, though, is denying that Ronaldo has any intentions of departing, despite seeing the Portugal star miss several weeks of pre-season, including a tour of Thailand and Australia.
Speaking to the media, the former Ajax head coach said: “Cristiano Ronaldo wishes to leave? That is your assumption, not what Cristiano is telling me.
“I deal with the players we have and we plan with him [Ronaldo] for this season and we have to fit him into the team.”
Ronaldo set for Brentford start
Meanwhile, Ronaldo is in line for his first competitive start of the season in Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Brentford away from home.
Striker Anthony Martial, who showed good form in pre-season, is still missing with an injury, and after Ten hag deployed Christian Eriksen as a false 9 last weekend because the veteran was lacking sharpness, he is set to turn to CR7 on this occasion.
Ronaldo was reduced to the role of substitute last weekend against Brighton and his introduction visibly lifted the team, although they still suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Seagulls.
Against Brentford, he will be hoping to achieve his side’s first victory of the season, having scored from the penalty spot in a 3-0 win over the Bees when they last met in May.
