Erik ten Hag is confident Cristiano Ronaldo will score more goals after the forward opened his account for the season to help Manchester United shoot down Sheriff in the Europa League.
Ronaldo had not started any of United's previous four Premier League matches and failed to impress in a home defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
However, having started Thursday's game, Ronaldo was on target from the penalty spot as United got three points on the board in Group E.
It was the 699th club goal of Ronaldo's career, albeit his first in the Europa League, with Sheriff the 124th different side the 37-year-old has scored against, and Ten Hag is expecting plenty more to follow this season.
"He needed that goal," Ten Hag told United's club media. "He was close many times, but you always see he wanted that so much. We're happy for him, and the team wanted him to bring that goal.
"We could expect this when you miss pre-season, he has to work really hard and invest to get the right fitness. He will score more goals. He's really close; when he gets more fitness, he will score more."
The United boss was also impressed by the performance of Jadon Sancho, who opened the scoring after 17 minutes when he turned on Christian Eriksen's pass and tucked a neat finish into the bottom-right corner.
Sancho, who was left out of Gareth Southgate's England squad earlier in the day, has now scored three goals in his last six appearances for United, as many as in his previous 24 games combined.
"I'm really pleased with [Sancho]," Ten Hag said. "[He scored] another goal, and he also scored many goals in pre-season.
"He's doing well, but I think there's much room for improvement for him because he has so many skills. So, bring it on the pitch and when he has that belief, I think he can be even more productive."
Meanwhile, Sancho underlined his determination to earn an England recall for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
"It was really important that we got the win today," the winger told reporters. "Our last home against Real Sociedad was an upset and coming into this game, we knew we had to get the three points.
"Obviously, it is disappointing not to get the call-up, but I have to keep working hard and hopefully, I do get the call-up for the World Cup. I just have to focus on myself and carry on working hard."
United have won five of their last six games in all competitions, as many victories as they had registered in their previous 21 matches combined.
Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football
Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.
The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.
She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.
The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year's Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team," Marta told CNN in an interview on Thursday.
"There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.
"I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
Man Utd cannot afford to get complacent – Ten Hag
Erik ten Hag urged his players not to get complacent against a Burnley side who are still fighting for their place in the Premier League.
After a run of four games without a win in the top-flight, Manchester United came from behind with late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund to beat bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United on Wednesday.
The Red Devils sit in sixth place on 53 points, three more than Newcastle United below them, but have not yet secured a place in Europe next season.
When asked what kind of challenge Burnley would pose, Ten Hag was full of praise for the way Vincent Kompany has set up his team.
“They play high-intensity football. They have changed their approach slightly in the season. They have had good results and are hard to beat, and all the compliments to Vincent and his staff.
“We can’t afford to think [it’s only X] about any opponent. With the team we have available, we have to be creative. We have to take every opponent with 100% focus. We can’t allow and do a little bit less.”
Burnley’s survival hopes were given a huge boost last weekend with an impressive 4-1 win against Sheffield United, leaving them just three points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th.
With just four games left of the season, Kompany highlighted the characteristics have kept the Clarets within touching distance of the teams around them.
He said: “The biggest thing is consistency, hard work and making sure to not get distracted by the outside noise has been the main factor. We haven't found the recipe for Champions League football yet, but we are improving every game.
"I know we still have a chance and that's all that matters to me, whether it's two teams, three teams or four teams still in it, it doesn't matter too much to me.”
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