Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has revealed that the club wants Cristiano Ronaldo to stay. When asked if Ronaldo has played his last match at the Red Devils, the Dutchman stated they have played the Portuguese and want him to continue with his stint.
During the off-season, there have been many reports that Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United as he wants to play in the Champions League club.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Manchester United claimed their first overseas win of the season as they defeated Southampton 1-0 after Bruno Fernandes scored in the 55th minute.
Ronaldo was not picked in the starting XI by Erik Ten Hag and he was introduced by the manager only after the visitors took a 1-0 lead. After the match, the Portuguese applauded Manchester United fans, which spurred speculations that it could be his last outing in the team’s shirt before the transfer window deadline on Thursday.
But Ten Hag said: “We played with him. So we want him to stay. That is what we want. I hope so.”
The Dutchman also added they don’t need to sign any forwards as they have got their bases covered with Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford.
“We have Cristiano Ronaldo, we have Anthony Martial, we have Marcus Rashford, so then we are OK.”
On the other hand, Manchester United new signing Casemiro also made his debut against Southampton when he came in for Anthony Elanga.
“I think it was quite good for him to see what the Premier League is (like), its different style,” Ten Hag said.
“He has played some games, he played one time 90 minutes, but he is fit, he had a good pre-season with a lot of training sessions and now we have to integrate him in a team, in a way of play, and integrate him with his team-mates.”
Manchester United will next face Leicester City on Thursday.