Erik ten Hag reveals why he substituted Manchester United talisman Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was finally included in the starting XI by Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag in the Sunday clash against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. The home team dominated the possession with 63% but they could only take two shots on target.

Ronaldo was not at his best and he was substituted for Marcus Rashford in the 72nd minute. The Portuguese striker had one goal ruled out because of a foul and the other because of offside.

The Dutch manager revealed that he wanted to keep all his strikers fresh as they will play four matches in the next two weeks. However, it is worth mentioning that Ronaldo was the only player who was substituted by Erik Ten Hag.

ETH said (as quoted by ESPN): “We have to recover four games in 10 days and especially for the strikers, I want to keep them fresh. I want to keep them all fresh, we have to rotate because of some problems we have.” 

The Dutch tactician continued: “[Anthony] Martial is not available in this moment, then Rashy [Rashford] was not well, so he did not have energy for the whole game. We had to plan to cover for the four games because we want to win or at least get a result in all four games.”

Ronaldo has started for Manchester United in a handful of matches in the ongoing season and he will look to give his best in the upcoming games.

Meanwhile, Manchester United will face some tough challenges in the upcoming fixtures. The Red Devils will host third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday before taking on Chelsea on October 22 while traveling away.

Subsequently, they will lock horns against Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League on October 27. Erik Ten Hag’s men will then face West Ham United.