Erik ten Hag insists Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to make his first start of the Dutchman's tenure at Manchester United, despite only featuring for 45 minutes of the club's pre-season schedule.
“It was short [pre-season] but Ronaldo is Ronaldo. He can do that,”the United boss told our reporter Stewart Gardner.
“He proved that so often in the past. He's a really fit guy and he has to show that today.”
“We had problems with numbers in the squad, in the offensive part. He’s now had two-and-a-half weeks of training, and two halves in games.He is a threat, he can score goals. That’s why [he starts]. We saw in the second half last week when he came on, he makes a difference in the game. And it’s what we expect today, as well.“
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“He [Christian] has to dominate the game, like everyone,”Ten Hag said on MUTV.
“He can be a factor, in possession, he can make a difference. As we all know, his creativity, together with Bruno, they link together better every day and so I have expectations from that.”
Finally, on the fact the game will be played in sweltering conditions at the Gtech Community Stadium in West London, Ten Hag commented: “For everyone it's hot, for both teams it's hot. So it's a matter of mentality and that is what we have to show.
”Both teams have the same problem, so deal with it.“
You can see both line-ups and follow live updates in the Match Centre on the United App and ManUtd.com.