Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted it is "not impossible" to leave out Cristiano Ronaldo as he said the superstar will not play every game this season following his stunning start to life back at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo enjoyed a remarkable second debut for United on Saturday, scoring two goals in their 4-1 Premier League rout of Newcastle United.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who was serenaded by fans before, during and after the match, completed a sensational return to United from Juventus last month after leaving the Red Devils for Real Madrid in 2009.
As United prepare to challenge on all fronts this season ahead of their Champions League opener at Young Boys on Tuesday, Solskjaer said the 36-year-old's minutes will be managed in 2021-22.
"It's not impossible to leave him out," Solskjaer said. "He is 36. Mason [Greenwood] is 19 so it's the same, I have to manage his minutes and I have to manage a 36-year-old's minutes as well.
"The other thing with Cristiano is that he looks after himself so much so I know he will recover quickly.
"Of course, it's important that we get everyone up and running and to get him up and running."
Ronaldo set a new record for the gap between two Premier League appearances (12 years, 118 days).
His brace against Newcastle came 12 years and 124 days after Ronaldo's last in the English top flight – only Matt Jackson (13 years, 187 days) has gone longer in Premier League history.
Ronaldo, at 36 years and 218 days, became the oldest player to score a double in a Premier League match since Graham Alexander for Burnley against Hull in April 2010. Alexander was 38 years and 182 days old.
The arrival of Ronaldo before the transfer deadline capped an impressive window for United, who also signed star defender Raphael Varane from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho.
"The more quality you add to the group, the more healthy the competition [is] and [the more] leaders [there are] who they look up to," said Solskjaer.
"I think seeing Raphael and Cristiano coming has raised everyone's eyebrows because they are winners.
"They have won everything there is to win and they put demands on themselves which the young boys, the rest of the team, look at and think that is how you stay at the top. So it is only going to be good for everyone."
Newcastle United v Manchester United: Preview and prediciton
Newcastle United are heading into a "massive month" as they bid for Champions League qualification, and their first task is EFL Cup final foes Manchester United.
Newcastle's long wait for a major trophy goes on after they were beaten 2-0 by Man United at Wembley in February.
This can still be a successful season for the Magpies, however, with a top-four finish within their hands. They could even leapfrog third-placed Man United with a win on Sunday.
Eddie Howe's side will not be short of motivation for that match at St James' Park, although it is far from the last big game they have in April.
There are another six fixtures to come before the end of the month, and Howe said: "It's a massive month. Whenever you have an intense period of games, you know those results are going to define what we do this season.
"The last two results [wins against Wolves and Nottingham Forest] put us in a really strong position and also just lifted confidence levels and morale in the squad.
"This is going to be a big week to come. It's Manchester United first, so we have to focus on that alone and learn our lessons from the cup final defeat."
The EFL Cup clash came after Erik ten Hag had described Newcastle as "annoying" in reference to their gamesmanship.
Although Howe suggested on Friday such claims had been "overblown", he confirmed Newcastle would be out to annoy their opponents.
That is certainly what Ten Hag expects as he revisited the top before this encounter, saying: "We know they delay. It's something that the referee doesn't want.
"Whey want to have tempo in the game, that is the aim of the Premier League, so they have to be consistent to let the game go."
He added: "It's a team that is really hard to beat. We are looking forward to the challenge, and the evidence is we can beat them."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Alexander Isak
Isak returned injured the last time he went away on international duty in September, missing more than three months as a result. This time, the forward appears to be fit after featuring for Sweden and is coming into form, scoring six times in 10 league matches this season.
Isak has three in his last two games, with Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic the only Swedish players to have previously netted in three in a row in the competition.
Manchester United – Marcus Rashford
Rashford, unlike Isak, did not go away on international duty, complaining of a problem ahead of linking up with England. That appeared to frustrate Gareth Southgate, but it should have him fit for this game.
It is a boost to United, with Rashford scoring more winning goals than any other player in the Premier League this season. His nine have only twice been topped by a United player in a single campaign – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 in 2007-08) and Wayne Rooney (10 in 2009-10).
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Newcastle are winless in six against Man United in the Premier League, but their past two meetings – the only two under Howe – have both ended in draws.
It was goalless between the sides at Old Trafford. Although Newcastle have not kept clean sheets in consecutive games against Man United since May 1997, the visitors are without a goal in their past two league games.
The Magpies are more than capable of frustrating their opponents if they have a result to protect, too, with their matches this season spanning the third-longest period of time on average at 98 minutes and 58 seconds but seeing a ball-in-play low of 51 minutes and 41 seconds.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle - 34.3 per cent
Man United - 36.8 per cent
Draw - 28.9 per cent
Stellini: Relationship with Conte has not changed after Spurs sacking
Christian Stellini and Antonio Conte's relationship has not changed following the latter's dismissal at Tottenham.
Conte and Spurs mutually agreed to part ways during the international break following a concerning dip in results, putting Spurs' top-four position in jeopardy, and a remarkable outburst against the club from Conte after the 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Stellini will now take charge in north London for the remainder of the season, with his first game being Monday's clash against Premier League strugglers Everton.
Spurs have 10 games to secure their position in the Champions League next season, while Stellini's temporary appointment has not eased concerns regarding the club's long-term position.
One thing that is clear for Stellini, however, is that he still has a strong friendship with Conte and he moved to thank the former Chelsea and Inter boss.
"I want to clarify that the decision was taken for the best of the club and for everyone," he told a press conference, "Antonio is good. Everyone took the decision altogether for the best of the club.
"My relationship with Antonio is still the same, we're very close and nothing changed between us. I have to say thank you because I have improved a lot in my career under him and it's because of him.
"I did the best for him before, and I'll do the best for him until the end of the season."
Asked whether he felt this was his next step into a managerial career, Stellini added: "It's the next step to work hard for the next 10 games.
"Nothing has to change in my mind. I'm not here for vanity. I'm here to help this club. I have to be myself. I used myself, my character. We will see what happens during the process.
"We've had not many days together. We had a good day in training and we followed in training what we did in the past."
Spurs head into the weekend fourth in the Premier League standings, two points above Newcastle United and seven above Liverpool, both of whom have two games in hand.
Galtier: PSG working on next season's plans, including talks with Messi
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier is optimistic about the club's plans for next season, but admits there are parts of the setup that need improving "significantly".
PSG still have a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 despite a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes in their last game before the international break.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with Lyon at Parc des Princes, Galtier explained the work that is taking place to plan for the future, including discussions with Lionel Messi, whose deal expires at the end of the season.
The World Cup winner has been linked with a return to Barcelona as well as a potential move to MLS with David Beckham-owned Inter Miami.
"What will happen next season, we are working on it a lot, with management, with [director of football] Luis Campos," Galtier said.
"There is what we want to do but there are also the positions of each other, the club, the players. What we need to change quite significantly, what we need to improve quite significantly to be even more competitive.
"Regarding the future of Leo, there is the position of Leo, of the club, it is discussed between the two parties.
"I am focused on the 10 matches that come up to get this title. As for knowing what Leo or the club will decide, that remains very confidential."
Galtier also provided an update on Neymar, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Lille in February.
"During the break, he came in for an evaluation of his ankle post-op," Galtier explained. "We're talking with him a lot, we obviously follow his rehabilitation process.
"When there is an injury like this one, I like to give the player a bit of space, but we obviously keep in touch very regularly."
PSG have just 10 league games remaining this season, having been eliminated from both the Coupe de France and Champions League, and Galtier has used the international break to try and prepare his team as they look to seal the Ligue 1 title.
"We've had 10 days to work with a limited number of players," he said. "We've taken care of the little injuries, the players are coming back little by little. Tomorrow we will have a session focused on the game.
"Paris-Lyon is a classic fixture in this league. We need to get back to winning ways after Rennes, and get back on track in the final sprint."
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