After a start of the pre-season, new Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag has a clear idea what to do and how to get his team competitive again. And he needs Cristiano Ronaldo for that. The Dutchman believes that the Portuguese international is the best player on the team and that he can contribute in his new tactics, but he hasn’t spoken to him yet (Ronaldo stayed at home due to family reasons), and doesn’t know if he will stay in Manchester at all.TEN HAG on Cristiano Ronaldo: “I am well informed, he also has an option [of another year]. Yes [he could stay beyond next season]. Of course, I have signed here for three years but in football it’s short-term as well.” pic.twitter.com/VpMhjlf8xR— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) July 18, 2022 British journalists wanted to know the status of Cristiano Ronaldo: did he communicate with Ten Hag, how will he blend in, since he hasn’t been with the squad, and how will he react to the coach’s tactical wishes, since he is 37 years old.“The same status as last week in Bangkok. No change. I think we all know Ronaldo is a top professional and he will be fit, that is the last concern I have. I have set my demands. We want to play in a certain way. A top player can contribute and Ronaldo is an absolute top player in our squad. I think Cristiano is capable of doing that. In his career he has shown everything” said the Dutchman.Ten Hag’s message to his players is clear 🥵 pic.twitter.com/3BvPk58nat— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 18, 2022 On the other hand, Ten Hag couldn’t confirm nor deny if Ronaldo will be available when the team comes back to England, or if he will stay with the club. But he also knew that the club has an option to extend Ronaldo’ contract for another year.“I cannot tell you (if he will join the squad). Not yet. I am well informed, he also has an option, no? I have signed here for three years, but in football it’s short-term as well. We have to win from the start. So I don’t look that far ahead. I have a strategy, it’s a process, it takes time, but in the end we have to make sure from the outset there is a winning team” replied former Ajax coach.He’s not a big guy, but he’s Manchester United’s biggest additionOne of the most covered part of United’s team last season was captain Harry Maguire and his display. It seems that most of the English journalists were expecting that he will be stripped of captaincy or will be replaced with an expensive signing Lisandro Martinez (55 million dollars). But, Ten Hag first explained the reasons for signing the Argentinian and then said that he will decide who will be the new/old captain, and that he rates Maguire very much and believes he will be the starter in the new season.“He’s proved it in the past but he has also to prove it in the present and in the future. He’s played 60 times for England. Harry is really impressive and I expect a lot from him. But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like Manchester United needs. We have good players there but I also think that we need a squad that is also good and deep, but I analysed United last year in the left part of the defence. He is left-footed and that is an advantage in possession and defending. And he also brings a South American aggressiveness, control. He can bring spirit to the team and in cooperation with the fans. I think it will fit really well with Manchester United and the way we play” said Ten Hag.##NAJAVA_MECA_6512688##The Dutchman, as most of his countrymen, loves to sign players from Netherlands, either a Dutchman or somebody who played in Eredivisie. The journalists were curious to know will he sign some British players, and got an interesting reply from a man who just spent 55 million on a foreign player.“I would like to sign English players, because I think there’s only one criteria and that’s quality, in combination with the price. It looks like English players are quite expensive. It’s a fact you cannot deny. In the end it’s about quality” said Ten Hag.
