EPL

Ronaldo happy to stay at Man Utd, claims Ten Hag

By Sports Desk August 31, 2022

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is happy to stay at the club.

Ronaldo was widely reported to be pushing for an exit from Old Trafford due to his desire to play in the Champions League but offers were seemingly not forthcoming.

With the transfer window closing on Thursday, Ronaldo is set to remain at the club until at least January, barring any last-minute offers, but Ten Hag is adamant the 37-year-old is not disappointed by that outcome.

"We are on the same page. [He is happy to stay] otherwise he wouldn't be here," Ten Hag told reporters.

"From the start we said we planned with him, we are happy with him, he's happy to be here, and we want to make the season a success together."

Pressed on how Ronaldo – who has not started United's last two matches – could fit into his tactical approach, Ten Haag expressed confidence the former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar could settle into any system.

"The way of playing, the set of demands, you can see in training Ronaldo has the ability," he added.

"He will fit in because, I don't have to explain, he is a great player with great capabilities. He will fit in every system and every style. We are on one page, and he knows what the demands are."

Ten Hag has added to his ranks in the final days of the window with the capture of Antony, with the winger signing from former club Ajax for a fee of £85million (€100m).

Antony's arrival came just over a week after United had spent a reported £70m (€80m) on Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, but Ten Hag made it clear such spending was necessary.

"All the top clubs in the Premier League spent a lot of money, that is how the market developed," he explained. "I can do nothing about it, no one can, it's just the market. We have to accept how it went.

"If you want to compete at the top, you don't have a choice. All the Premier League clubs spent this kind of money. If you want to fight for the top four positions you have to do it, and we have the ambition, especially over the long term, to play for trophies, so I think we had to do it."

United face Leicester City on Thursday, seeking a third Premier League win in a row after starting the campaign with back-to-back defeats.

Related items

  • Borussia Dortmund receive injury boosts ahead of Champions League semi-final Borussia Dortmund receive injury boosts ahead of Champions League semi-final

    Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and forward Donyell Malen are likely to be fit in time for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain, coach Edin Terzic said on Tuesday.

    Dortmund will also have Emre Can and Ian Maatsen back from suspension, while Sabitzer, who was out ill for several days, and Dutch international Malen, recovering from an injury picked up during the March international break, have returned to training.

    "Marcel and Donyell both took part in training. We expect that they will be at our disposal tomorrow," said Terzic.

    "Marcel is feeling better, and we need him in his form from before his illness tomorrow."

    Dortmund have struggled in the league this season and on Saturday suffered a crushing 4-1 loss to direct rivals RB Leipzig, who held on to fourth place, leaving them in fifth with three matches remaining.

    The top four teams qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.

    Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA's coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.

    Dortmund's deep Champions League run this season, however, has kept fans hopeful of some silverware.

    The sides also met in the group stage, with the French side winning 2-0 in Paris before a 1-1 draw in Dortmund.

    "You could sense in the return leg that we had learned the lessons from the first game," Terzic said.

    "Now PSG look to be at their very peak this season with only one defeat in 2024 and a good run of results. We will have to show an improved performance from that in Dortmund."

    "We are confident that will show it tomorrow and next week in Paris. The clear goal is to gain a small advantage after the game tomorrow. We know we have to play at least 180 minutes at the highest level to have any shot at our dream."

  • Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style

    Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.

    Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.

    Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.

    Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle. 

    Data Debrief

    Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.

    It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts. 

  • Kimmich ready to open Bayern Munich talks amid Barcelona speculation Kimmich ready to open Bayern Munich talks amid Barcelona speculation

    Joshua Kimmich is ready to open talks with Bayern Munich over his future at the club amid speculation linking him with Barcelona.

    The Germany international has spent nine years at the Allianz Arena, but he is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

    Barca have been repeatedly linked with Kimmich in recent transfer windows and are said to retain an interest ahead of next season.

    Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, the midfielder talked up Barca - as well as fierce rivals Real Madrid - but fell short of saying he is open to a move.

    "I want to talk to Bayern. When I do that, I won't go out and talk to the press about it," he said. 

    "I'm not thinking about this. I will speak to Bayern first. But of course, Barcelona and Real Madrid are amazing clubs with an amazing history."

    Kimmich has played 37 times in all competitions this season for Bayern, whose last remaining hope of silverware is in the Champions League.

    Bayern will face Real Madrid over two legs for a place in the final, with the first match in that double-header taking place in Bavaria on Tuesday.

    Thomas Tuchel will depart the dethroned Bundesliga champions at the end of the season, with Ralf Rangnick the favourite to succeed him.

    The managerial uncertainty is not helping with regards to the Kimmich rumours, but he insists that will not be a deciding factor on his future.

    "It's not the most important thing right now," he said. "I know that when you sign a contract you don't sign it with the coach. 

    "You sign it with the club. For me, the most important thing is the club, not just the coach. 

    "But it's also important to know what the coach thinks about you and the team. Other people in the club can worry about choosing the coach."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.