Man United FC

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has 15 reasons to start Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Sociedad clash

Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United will be aiming for a win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League this evening.

 

Don't Miss Any Football Moment... Join Us. Now
Join Us Now

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal record versus Real Sociedad is particularly impressive. From just 10 outings, the Manchester United forward has 15 goals and four assists against tonight’s Europa League opponents. And, with Anthony Martial out due to injury, it appears like the scene is set for the veteran to be the Red Devils’ talisman as they attempt to top their group.

Manchester United are regaining their confidence ahead of tonight’s encounter against Real Sociedad, having had a fruitful October despite the 6-3 loss to Manchester City.

The Red Devils come to Spain knowing they have already qualified for the Europa League knockout stages, having won four of their five group games.

However, United aims to finish first in the group to avoid potentially difficult matches against Barcelona, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, and Juventus.

Erik ten Hag’s team needs to win by two clear goals to accomplish this.

“It’s straightforward,” he replied when asked what United needed to do to ensure they sat at the top at the end of the tie. “Obviously, it’s critical that we win. We know what we need to do: separate the two aims.

“However, we enjoy these challenges.” You must defeat everyone in order to earn a prize.

“It’s difficult to win games here, but we have a plan and will do all in our power to get it done.”

Everything will be settled tonight. And, with United lacking forwards such as Jadon Sancho, Antony Martial, and Anthony Martial, Ronaldo may be certain of making his third consecutive start.

When he stopped during the recent 2-0 win against Tottenham, some felt the Portugal international would never play for the club again.

Ten Hag was eager to lay down the law after his unwillingness to play against Antonio Conte’s side resulted in his being sidelined for a 1-1 draw with Chelsea days later.

However, Ronaldo has now returned and, at least recently, has emerged as a key player in the group.

He started last week’s 3-0 win over Sheriff, scoring after Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford had helped his side to victory.

And Ronaldo will be optimistic about adding to his amazing goal record against Sociedad, having already scored 15 times against them in his career.

San Sebastian is a happy hunting ground for the 37-year-old, who used to put the La Liga side to the sword when he wore the Real Madrid jersey.

And, with United in desperate need of goals, they can be confident in their No. 7 on a big night for Ten Hag and his team.

Of course, the Red Devils will fancy their chances against anyone. The camp seems confident, which was not the case under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last season.

However, United will want to make things easy for themselves in the Europa League as they try to break their trophy drought since winning the same competition in 2017.

Ronaldo had gotten accustomed to living in the Champions League and did not want to play in the Europa League.

But, with United refusing to allow him to leave during the summer transfer window, he now has a real chance to make an impact in the tournament.

Prior to the game versus Sociedad, Ten Hag was asked about Ronaldo and said: “To begin with, you must ask him, not me, about his feelings.

“But he is very professional; he is a member of the group, and he is an important member of this group.”

“He’s a leader, and as you know in Spain, he’s a threat to every defense, and you have to keep an eye on him because he’ll exploit any gap.””

When asked if United can learn from their 1-0 loss to Sociedad earlier this season, he replied: “It was around six weeks ago, and it’s a different team.

“Not all of the players that were on the field at the time are still with us.” I believe we’ve grown in the last few games; we’ve developed and made some nice strides, so we’re optimistic.

“We understand how difficult it is to win games here. But we enjoy the challenge, and we know we have to win by two goals.

“So we have a strategy for it, and we’ll do everything we can to make that happen.””

For More Update, Join Us on Telegram Now
Join Us Now
Back to top button