Erik ten Hag urges patience following his audacious decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo in the defeat to Brighton.
Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to improve his fitness levels as quickly as possible, since the club is ready to use the wantaway star following his substitute cameo against Brighton.
The Red Devils began their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 home defeat against Graham Potter’s side, who left United two goals down at the halftime break.
Ronaldo, who missed most of preseason after stating his desire to leave Old Trafford, came on in the second half to assist United claw back a goal.
Following the game, Ten Hag urged his Portuguese superstar to ‘do more’ in order to regain full fitness.
‘It takes time, you can’t force it,’ the Dutchman told Sky Sports. He has been in training for one week.
‘He needs to do more to get in shape.’ This game will benefit him, and he’ll be better next week.’
The United boss favored the structure of his team after the arrival of Ronaldo, with imaginative new playmaker Christian Eriksen free to slip deeper into midfield.
‘It was evident in the second half that we were stronger in the midfield,’ he remarked. ‘Christian Eriksen is out, and Cristiano Ronaldo is in.’
‘We generated and had a lot of opportunities.’ It’s too bad we didn’t score them.’