Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo, who has expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford for a shot at Champions League glory, will be in the squad for the Red Devils' home clash against Rayo Vallecano.
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo will feature in his first pre-season game for Manchester United against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Portuguese talisman, who reportedly expressed his desire to leave the Red Devils for a shot at Champions League glory, returned to England last week and held face-to-face discussions with new manager Erik ten Hag over his future.
Reports suggest that Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United after 12 years last summer, and his super-agent Jorge Mendes insisted on a departure. However, Ten Hag and Co. appear to be gearing up for a season, with the five-time Ballon d'Or leading their strike attack. Sunday's game, which will be the Dutchman's debut at Old Trafford since he took charge of the Red Devils, could be a deal-breaker.
After Manchester United's defeat to Atletico Madrid in Oslo on Saturday, Ten Hag told the media, "Tomorrow he (Ronaldo) will be in the squad. We'll see how long he can play."
Meanwhile, the Portuguese superstar appears excited to feature in his first pre-season game as he took to Instagram to share a photograph from the team's training session. "Working in progress," wrote Ronaldo in a post flooded with 'Welcome back', 'The GOAT is back' comments.
Ten Hag also confirmed that his starting XI to face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday would look very different from the narrowly lost to Atletico. "The players who played today from the start, they will not come on tomorrow. So tomorrow we will have a different starting XI. But there are players who came on who can start tomorrow," the United boss explained.
Erik ten Hag, who changed the dugout at the Theatre of Dreams, is also looking forward to his debut match in front of the home crowd. "I think [it will be special]. After, I can tell you the feeling, but it would be great. I heard it was sold out, so it is fantastic. We have to prepare for this game now. We have to travel back soon to get well prepared for the start tomorrow against Rayo Vallecano," the Dutchman concluded.
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