Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is looking to ‘get the best out of’ legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese icon recently scored his 700th club career goal in the Red Devils Premier League clash against Everton.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hopes to 'get the best out of' legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who on Sunday scored his 700th club career goal against Everton at Goodison Park. The Portuguese talisman, who has featured sparingly for the Red Devils this season after expressing his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer for a shot at Champions League glory, will be pleased with the Dutchman's words as he hopes to get more time in the ongoing campaign.
Ronaldo came off the bench to score the winner in Manchester United's 2-1 win against Frank Lampard's men, and produced a quintessential CR7 performance as he enthralled his fans with his form and pace. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to start in the club's Europa League clash against Omonia Nicosia on Thursday. However, it remains to be seen if Ten Hag will give the Portugal captain a start in the Red Devils' next Premier League against Newcastle.
Ahead of Thursday's clash, Ten Hag discussed Ronaldo's role in his plans and his desire to bring out the best from the legendary striker this season. "I want to support him as good as possible," the United boss told his pre-match press conference.
"We have certain demands from players, what we expect in certain positions. I want to get the best out of him, he's in better shape now and I'm happy with that. At the start, it was the case [lack of fitness]; it's proven once again, no one can miss a pre-season," Ten Hag added.
Meanwhile, the United boss also confirmed that Ronaldo plans to appeal his FA charge following a phone-smashing incident at Everton last season. The Portuguese talisman, the club's highest scorer last season with 24 goals across competitions, was caught on video allegedly slapping a phone out of a young Everton fan - Jacob Harding. After Merseyside police completed their investigation into the incident, Ronaldo apologised. However, last month FA charged the legend with improper and/or violent conduct. "We spoke about that. He will not accept it," Ten Hag said when asked about the charges.