Manager Eric ten Hag and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo before coming on as a substitute against Liverpool at Old Trafford, Manchester, 22 August 2022. Reuters
LONDON: Manchester United’s new manager Eric ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo is in his plans for the season despite being left out of the starting line-up in the 2-1 Premier League win over Liverpool. He said he was.
Ten Hag was rewarded for his decision to keep Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Anthony Elanga front-line.
Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the 86th minute, but was unable to make an impact with a brief cameo.
“I think he can,” Ten Hag told reporters when asked if the 37-year-old could still adapt to his style of play.
“Over his entire career, he’s done it under multiple managers, with several styles and systems,” added Ten Hag.
“He was always acting, so why can’t he do this? To me, his age doesn’t matter. If you’re young, you’re good enough. Good enough.”
Captains Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Fred will also start on the bench, with Ten Hag saying the change is part of his game plan: take on Liverpool.
“We have the team, we have the way we play, we have the style, we have the game plan, see what is the best approach to the game. That’s what we did today,” Ten Hag said. Told.
“We do that every game, so we picked those players today, but it could be Saturday[against Southampton]or it could be different.
“We need a team because we have a lot of games to cover. I believe that if we build a team out of teams and come together as a team, we can achieve a lot.”
United take on 11th-placed Southampton on 27 August.
