September 04, (THEWILL) – Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, offered a cryptic response about starting Cristiano Ronaldo against Arsenal at the pre-match presser, but was prepared to give him the chance to earn a starting place.
Speaking about the Portuguese star, Ten Hag said: “I will be his friend and sometimes I will be his teacher, it depends on the situation. But as we all know, he didn’t have [a] pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season. It’s a base.
“Especially in the game we play, the way of play, we play another type [of football] in comparison with last year, so it depends on the demands, co-operation, and demands of certain positioning in and out of possession and the other thing is the fitness.”
The response implied that Ten Hag might keep Ronaldo on the bench going forward, just as the published teamsheet testify to, and there is a subliminal suggestion of punishment on his part for the 37-year-decision old’s to skip out on United’s preseason tour and the possibility that he might be slow or resistant to adapt to the manager’s preferred style of play.
Still, Ten Hag used very positive language and seemed to imply that he was prepared to give the goal-scoring record holder the chance to win a starting spot especially as they will need goals to keep their climb up the table progressing steadily.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
