The transfer window has shut, and Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at Manchester United until January at the very least. Erik ten Hag is ready to act both friend and teacher to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
It was believed all summer that the 37-year-old was keen to call time on his second spell at Old Trafford less than a year after returning from Juventus. United went on to have a disappointing season – failing to qualify for the Champions League as well as going a fifth year without lifting a trophy.
However, that didn’t stop Ten Hag stressing that Ronaldo would be staying put and, despite constant speculation, that’s exactly what happened.
Ronaldo has been used primarily as an option from the bench since the start of the season. At his age, Ten Hag is right to manage his games, but we should soon see him feature from the beginning of some games.
“(He stayed), as we said,” Ten Hag said, as quoted by The Independent. “It’s really early in the season and we have a squad and we have more than starting 11 players and that is what you see now.
“Players who are now on the bench can play in one, two or three weeks.”
Ronaldo missed the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to a personal issue, so he only got the first half of a friendly against Rayo Vallecano before the Premier League campaign got underway.
“I will be his friend, sometimes I will be his teacher,” he added. “It depends on the situation.
“But, as we all know, he didn’t have the pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season.
“It is a base, especially in the game we play, the way of play. We play another type in comparison with last year.
“It depends on the demands, cooperation and it demands certain positioning, in and out of position, and the other thing is fitness.”
