Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is unsure of Cristiano Ronaldo's availability against Fulham after the forward was struck down by illness this week.

United travel to Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Sunday for their final game before the season halts for the World Cup in Qatar, with questions lingering as to whether players will avoid being involved across the final weekend in order to avoid picking up an injury.

Ten Hag insists that is not the case for United and, though Ronaldo has been under the weather in recent days, it is "possible" he could be involved.

"I think the players are all aware of the importance of the game. We have Fulham, and I will not take the World Cup into regard. We play the best team on Sunday – it's the only interest for Manchester United," Ten Hag told reporters.

"I can't guarantee that now [Ronaldo being available], but he was ill today, so he can recover from that, it's not a really serious illness that takes days or weeks. So I think it's possible that he will be available for Sunday and that he will be in the squad."

Ten Hag was also asked how he would assess the current position of United and outlined his content, though he remains focused on this weekend's game with Fulham.

"I hoped that we would be where we are now, but again, it's better to ask me the question after Sunday. Sunday is going to be a really important game," he added.

"If you look into the progress of the process, then you can analyse and you can make a reflection. I think we have progressed.

"Pressing play out from the back, also attacking the final third, that is part of the game we have to improve, but then you have to have numbers available. When we have so many games, you need rotation. Otherwise, you don't keep the players fresh.

"We need the players who are available at the highest level. So we need new players or to use the players that we have already got."

One of those within the squad who has had limited involvement is Donny van de Beek, but Ten Hag feels there is still a role for the midfielder to play, with a temporary departure not appealing to him.

"I don't think that a loan makes sense. It's either he fights himself, and he proves himself in this atmosphere in this environment, or he goes, but for me, there's still a way for him," he explained.

"There's still chances for him, but it is not going to be easy because the competition there is really strong."

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his behaviour this season and questioned why other former team-mates are defending him.

Ronaldo was left out of the United squad for a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in October after refusing to come on as a substitute in the previous game against Tottenham, where he also left the dugout before the final whistle.

The veteran forward has since returned to the side, captaining United in their most recent Premier League match at Aston Villa.

But speculation around Ronaldo's future persists after he pushed for a move away from Old Trafford ahead of the season, and Rooney warns he will be an "unwanted distraction" if he does not change his attitude.

"I don't think they're a better team with him in the side. I just think the things he has done since the start of the season are not acceptable for Manchester United," Rooney told talkSPORT.

"We've seen Roy Keane defending him, Roy wouldn't have accepted that at all. It's a distraction that Manchester United don't need at the minute, it's time to rebuild.

"Cristiano needs to get his head down and work, be ready to play when the manager needs him. If he does that, he'll be an asset. If he doesn't, I think it will be an unwanted distraction."

Ronaldo and Rooney arrived at United in consecutive years in 2003 and 2004 as two of the most exciting young players in world football.

And Rooney now wants to see United pursue a 2023 equivalent in the form of Jude Bellingham, who he was immediately impressed by when facing the Borussia Dortmund midfielder during his time at Birmingham City.

"I played against Bellingham when he was at Birmingham and I was at Derby, he actually man-marked me during that game," Rooney said. "I think he was about 16, maybe just 17, and what I really liked about him is every time I passed the ball off, he'd leave a stud in on me.

"And I remember thinking that he's got something about him, just to show the character to go out to Germany and take that league by storm.

"That mentality to perform, obviously he's been captain in quite a few of the games as well, he's going to be a huge player for England. Even though he's young, he can put some of that character into some of the rest of the squad.

"I hope Manchester United are targeting him. I hope he doesn't go to Liverpool or Manchester City. I'm sure they're doing their work, he's probably the hottest youngster in world football at the minute.

"I'm sure United are looking at that as well, I know they tried to get him a couple of years ago. He's a player that United could really do with at the moment."

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Renato Sanches has been left out of Portugal's World Cup squad, joining the country's second-most capped player Joao Moutinho in missing out on the trip to Qatar.

Sanches has won 32 senior caps for Portugal since his 2016 debut and was named Young Player of the Tournament as Portugal clinched their first major trophy at the European Championship in France that year.

However, since swapping Lille for Ligue 1 rivals PSG this August, Sanches has struggled for game-time, starting just three matches in all competitions and playing a total of 427 minutes.

Fellow PSG midfielders Marco Verratti, Vitinha, Danilo Pereira, Fabian Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler have all made more starts this campaign, leaving Sanches out of Fernando Santos' plans.

Sanches' PSG team-mates Vitinha, Pereira and Nuno Mendes have all been included in Portugal's squad for the tournament, where they will face Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea after being drawn into Group H.

Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Moutinho, whose tally of 146 Portugal caps is only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable total of 191, has been overlooked in favour of Wolves team-mates Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes.

Despite enduring a frustrating season with Manchester United, Ronaldo will captain Portugal in Qatar, where he will bid to become the first player to score at five separate World Cups.

The 37-year-old is one of just four players to hit the net at four separate editions of the tournament, alongside Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose.

However, all seven of Ronaldo's World Cup goals have arrived in the group stage, making him the highest scoring player in the tournament's history to fail to hit the net in the knockouts (in six such appearances).

Portugal squad: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (Roma); Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund); Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Ruben Neves (Wolves), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Mario (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolves), Otavio (Porto), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), William Carvalho (Real Betis); Andre Silva (RB Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (Milan), Ricardo Horta (Braga).

Xavi said Barcelona had been handed the toughest possible draw after they were paired with Manchester United in the Europa League's knockout round play-offs.

Barca will compete in the Europa League after the turn of the year as a result of their failure to advance from a Champions League group containing Bayern Munich and Inter.

The Blaugrana have now suffered successive group-stage eliminations from the Champions League for just the second time, having also done so under Louis van Gaal in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns.

Barca were beaten by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the last eight of the Europa League last term, and Xavi said they had been unfortunate once again following Monday's draw. 

"We will have to compete, going to Manchester against a really tough rival," Xavi said ahead of Tuesday's trip to Osasuna in LaLiga.

"It's a historic rival that has grown a lot with the arrival of Erik ten Hag, with great individual players. We have been given the most difficult rival, yet again, in the Europa League.

"There is always a rival who also has the obligation to win, like ourselves. To compete, we have to analyse Manchester. We will try, this club has never won the Europa League.

"It's a massive challenge for us, our players will probably be more motivated against a strong team."

Barca's next European tie will see them reunited with their old foe Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 20 goals in 34 games against the Blaugrana, netting against them in LaLiga (nine), the Champions League (two), the Copa del Rey (five) and the Supercopa de Espana (four).

Xavi refuted suggestions the United striker is in decline despite his struggles this season, adding: "He seems to me to be a great player who has marked an era, and he can still make a difference.

"I like to win, I hate to lose, whoever is in front of me. I want to win and be competitive."

Barca have won their last four games against United, including Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, having won just one of the sides' previous eight meetings in European competitions (D4 L3).

Erik ten Hag handed Cristiano Ronaldo the captain's armband for Manchester United's clash with Aston Villa on Sunday. 

Ronaldo's future at United remains far from certain, with the 37-year-old not a guaranteed starter under Ten Hag.

However, 17 days on from storming down the tunnel after being an unused substitute against Tottenham – an act that saw him left out against Chelsea on October 22 – Ronaldo was given the armband for the game at Villa Park.

Against no side has Ronaldo scored more Premier League goals than he has against Villa (eight).

United's club captain Harry Maguire was named on the bench, with Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez preferred to the England international in the centre of defence.

Ronaldo teed up Alejandro Garnacho's winner against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, and the youngster was rewarded with his first Premier League start.

Donny van de Beek was also named in United's starting XI for the first time in the league, while new Villa boss Unai Emery made two changes to the side that was thrashed 4-0 by Newcastle United last time out.

Wayne Parnell explained the motivation he takes from Cristiano Ronaldo as the bowler looked towards South Africa's T20 World Cup clash with the Netherlands.

Ronaldo has altered his goal celebration as of late, replacing his famous "Siu" with a "peace of mind" gesture, seemingly in response to his trouble at Manchester United this season.

It is a celebration that has been copied at the T20 World Cup by South Africa paceman Parnell, standing with his eyes closed, fingers crossed in front of his chest and his head rolled back.

Parnell has taken five wickets so far in Australia, helping South Africa to two victories in Group 2. Ahead of their final match of the pool stage against the Netherlands on Sunday, the Proteas sit in second place, and a victory over the Dutch would guarantee their place in the last four.

And in his pre-match press conference, Parnell explained how he takes inspiration from one of the world's finest footballers.

He said: "It's the Ronaldo celebration. He has always been one of my favourite footballers, and I've obviously followed his career quite closely.

"And I think I've kind of taken on some stuff that he has been going through, you know, as a professional athlete and someone that's very competitive and passionate about doing well.

"That's something that I've always wanted to do as well is contribute to the team's success."

It is not all about emulating an idol, though. For Parnell, it is also about enjoying playing in front of crowds again following the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's just about having fun as well," Parnell added, "I think, you know, we're very lucky to be playing this sport and to be able to do it on this world stage.

"Obviously, there's no COVID, so we have fans back, and it's just about entertaining everyone."

Looking ahead to South Africa's must-win game on Sunday, Parnell said: "I think now it's just really simple. If you actually look at it, tomorrow is basically a quarter-final. Then obviously if we win that, we go to a semi-final. If we win that, we go to the final.

"In a way it's actually worked out well where we are under a certain amount of pressure to obviously get through, but I always like to look at it from a positive point of view where it's basically a quarter-final. It's just about winning it really."

Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim admits it would be a "dream" to sign Neymar but doubts his club's chances, while claiming Cristiano Ronaldo would be a bench player for the Brazilian side.

Neymar is set to star for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar, where the South American giants are seeking to end a 20-year wait to win the tournament for a sixth time.

The 30-year-old, who has spent nine years in Europe since leaving Santos for Barcelona in 2013, has an uncertain future with Paris Saint-Germain, who were reportedly open to letting him leave prior to this season.

Flamengo have been linked with a sensational move to bring Neymar back to South America, with Manchester United's Ronaldo also linked, but Landim believes such moves are highly unlikely.

"I don't know how much Neymar earns – I've heard that it will be close to €4million per month," he said.

"If we consider that amount, he will not want to come to Flamengo given what I will be able to offer him, within the wage structure.

"He will have a better proposal from outside. It's natural, it's the market.

 

"There are clubs with much bigger budgets than Flamengo that will be interested in an exceptional player like Neymar.

"Having Neymar would be a dream for any club in Brazil, I have no doubts, but I think he will play outside of Brazil for some time because he is exceptional.

"The clubs that can pay salaries of exceptional players like him are abroad."

The Flamengo president was also asked about potentially signing Ronaldo, but he declared he would only get a spot on the bench.

He added: "I don't know where people get this from. They have a lot of creativity.

"We would hire him in substitution to whom? I want to ask you all: who would you take out of our team for him to play?

"I saw online, I am not sure if that is true, he would have received an offer of $242m for a two-year contract. If you take $242m and divide it by 24 months, it is around $10m per month.

"This is way over all Flamengo's pay cheque just for Cristiano Ronaldo to be on the bench waiting for Pedro and Gabigol."

Alejandro Garnacho's strike to give Manchester United a 1-0 Europa League victory over Real Sociedad on Thursday was in vain as the Spanish side retained Group E's top spot.

A win by two or more goals would have seen United through as group winners by virtue of a superior head-to-head record, and Garnacho's early finish sparked hopes of Erik ten Hag's side achieving just that.

But a resolute defensive display from La Real saw them do enough to prevent United getting a second, despite coming under increasing pressure late on.

Ten Hag's men advance but will be forced into a two-legged play-off with one of the teams knocked out of the Champions League, a list that includes Barcelona and Juventus.

La Real started brighter but United grew into the game and took the lead after 17 minutes, Garnacho latching onto Cristiano Ronaldo's throughball and holding off a defender before rifling home from a tight angle.

David de Gea made a stunning double save to preserve United's lead before the break, tipping Andoni Gorosabel's long-range strike wide at full stretch before somehow blocking Pablo Marin's shot from the rebound over.

United still required another goal, but La Real threatened at the other end 16 minutes from time, with substitute Ander Guevara forcing a smart save from De Gea with his low drive.

La Real continued to defend resiliently and limited United to few chances, ultimately seeing out the game to secure top spot and their place in the round of 16, while the Red Devils will face a nervy play-off.

Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes has only played 27 games for the club since arriving from Lyon, and he has been so impressive that he is now a target of Barcelona.

Guimaraes, 24, spent three seasons with Lyon before Newcastle secured his services in a £40million move in January.

He scored five goals in just 11 starts this past Premier League campaign, and has added two goals and two assists this season, with Newcastle unbeaten in the 10 games he has started.

The Brazil international with eight senior caps to his name is a key part of why Newcastle currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League table, but they will now reportedly have to fend off interest from Barca.

 

TOP STORY – BARCELONA INVESTIGATE A MOVE FOR GUIMARAES

According to The Sun, Barcelona have officially moved on from their chase of Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and are instead focusing their attention on Newcastle's Guimaraes.

The report claims Barcelona were "priced out" of a move for Silva after City slapped a price tag of £80m on him and Guimaraes would certainly not come cheap.

With his contract tying him to Newcastle until 2026, it would need a huge offer to land the 24-year-old. 

While their spending spree will eventually need to be balanced out with some sales, the Magpies are said to be offering Guimaraes a new contract that will pay him £200,000 per week to put any questions about his future to bed.

 

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting both Roma and Juventus are expected to pursue 23-year-old Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, who is valued in the region of €30m.

– According to The Mirror, Sporting will attempt to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo in January, and are preparing a second contract offer despite previously stating they can not afford the Portugal legend.

– Relevo claims N'Golo Kante is seen by Barcelona as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets, with the Chelsea midfielder's contract set to expire at the end of the season.

– It could be a busy January for Barcelona as Sport are reporting they hope to sell Memphis Depay, while Fichajes believe Franck Kessie will push for a move back to the Serie A.

– According to IG Esporte, Brighton and Everton are interested in 25-year-old Monaco left-back Caio Henrique.

Marcus Rashford's 100th Manchester United goal gave the Red Devils a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday.

United handed Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire rare league starts, but Rashford snatched the headlines in bringing up his milestone with a fine 38th-minute header.

West Ham looked uninspired for long periods before finding David De Gea in strong form when they exerted some pressure late on, with the United goalkeeper making three crucial saves.

The victory lifts Erik ten Hag's team above Chelsea into fifth in the Premier League table, one point below fourth-placed Newcastle United with a game in hand.

Ronaldo sent a long-range effort into Lukasz Fabianski's arms as United dominated the early exchanges, before Rashford cut inside to send a deflected shot onto the roof of the net.

West Ham weathered that early storm and then escaped when Anthony Elanga badly miscued a volley from just six yards out after 36 minutes.

United led from their very next attack, however, with Rashford planting a brilliant header beyond Fabianski after meeting Christian Eriksen's hanging cross.

Ronaldo should have done better with a left-footed effort following Rashford's reverse pass as United continued to press after half-time, before David de Gea tipped Michail Antonio's fierce strike over the crossbar.

De Gea then made a brilliant reflex save from Kurt Zouma's header and denied Declan Rice from range after Maguire blocked from Jarrod Bowen, before which substitute Fred had nodded against the right-hand post at the other end – a near miss that did not prove costly.

Cristiano Ronaldo was given a start for Manchester United's meeting with West Ham, his first in the Premier League since being temporarily exiled from first-team activities.

Ronaldo was dropped for last week's dramatic 1-1 draw with Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham, and he was subsequently left out of first-team training.

However, Erik ten Hag recalled Ronaldo for Thursday's 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff – a decision the 37-year-old validated by scoring his third goal of the season in all competitions – and the Dutchman kept faith with the striker.

Club captain Harry Maguire also earned a rare league start – his first since August – after Raphael Varane suffered a leg injury at Chelsea.

Fellow defender Victor Lindelof missed out through illness against David Moyes' team, as did Brazilian winger Antony.

Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Anthony Elanga were brought into the starting line-up by Ten Hag, having all been benched last time out.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is known to be desperate for Lionel Messi to finish his career at his long-time club.

The 35-year-old Argentine forward departed Camp Nou hastily in August last year due to Barcelona's financial issues.

Messi joined the Blaugrana in 2000 and had an association with the club for more than two decades, scoring 672 goals across 778 first-team appearances.


TOP STORY – LAPORTA PLOTTING JANUARY MOVE FOR MESSI

Laporta is planning a move for Barcelona club legend Lionel Messi in the January transfer window, according to Sport.

The report states that Barcelona want to take advantage of the Fair Play situation in January, rather than wait for the off-season where the 1/4 rule will make any move more difficult.

However, Laporta's plan is full of obstacles for the Blaugrana to overcome, not least LaLiga's financial restraints, along with convincing Messi and his current club Paris Saint-Germain to part midway through the season.

Messi has publicly said he has deferred any decisions on his club or international future until after the World Cup.


ROUND-UP

– Sporting CP head coach Ruben Amorim may have distanced the club from links with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in midweek but The Mirror reports that the Portuguese club will make a bid for him in January.

– Brighton and Hove Albion are open to selling Moises Caicedo amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United but have slapped a £85m price tag on the 20-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder, reports the Sunday Mirror.

– The Express claims that Arsenal are leading the race ahead of Manchester United to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Belgian could move to the Gunners for free, as he is out of contract at the end of the season and unlikely to pen a new deal.

– Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante - whose contract is also up at the end of June 2023 - is a major target for Barcelona who are looking at replacements for veteran Sergio Busquets, reports Relevo.

– Sport claims Barcelona are looking to offload Memphis Depay in January, with Juventus interested in signing the Dutch attacker.

Wolves are set to approach ex-Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui again, having failed to convince him previously to become their new manager, claims The Sun.

Erik ten Hag believes Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the level he reached last season for Manchester United if he wants.

Ronaldo scored only his third goal of the campaign on Thursday, a header that wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff.

Ten Hag restored Ronaldo to his starting XI after dropping the 37-year-old for last weekend's trip to Chelsea as punishment for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham.

Ronaldo was United's top scorer with 24 goals across all competitions last season but has found himself behind Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial – when fit – this term.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is only averaging a goal every 260 minutes across all competitions, his worst such record since 2005-06 (one every 284 minutes).

Despite Ronaldo's misdemeanours under Ten Hag, the Dutchman has routinely talked up the striker's importance.

But he feels it is on Ronaldo to prove he can still be as productive as last season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday's visit of West Ham, Ten Hag said: "It's up to him, but I think when you collect all the chances he creates, the team creates for him, in the last weeks I've been here, you see he is still capable to get into the right positions.

"I know he's capable of finishing that. So, it's possible."

Indeed, finding openings has not been a problem for Ronaldo. Only Rashford (6.3) has a better expected goals (xG) tally in the United squad than Ronaldo (5.6), but the latter leads the way for xG per 90 minutes (0.65).

Granted, much of Ronaldo's football this term has been against seemingly lesser opposition in the Europa League, but the fact remains: he has had chances, the problem is his inability to take them, perhaps a by-product of the veteran not having much of a pre-season.

Ten Hag liked what he saw when Ronaldo and Rashford worked in tandem during the second half against Sheriff, however, hinting he sees a way of fitting both forwards into the team on a more regular basis.

"I think [against Sheriff] with Cristiano and Marcus in the attack, that worked very well. I was happy about that," the manager said.

The prolonged absence of Martial will help Ronaldo's bid for regular football and Ten Hag could not guarantee the Frenchman will be back before the break for the World Cup, though he is optimistic.

"I hope," Ten Hag said of Martial, who has scored three goals in just 133 minutes of action this term.

"He is making progress. He is outside and he's working there. So, we are waiting for his step back in team training."

Clearly, Ten Hag would regard Martial's return to be a major boost after showing highly promising flashes during his limited time on the pitch this term.

"The setback was that he fell against Everton with his back, so we had some injuries which were really frustrating for us but also for him, and we have seen him play really good in pre-season," Ten Hag said.

"He has already scored three goals, yet in Everton he also had an important role with the first goal, his assist to Antony.

"So it would be really good to have him back because he can make a difference, he can score goals, but also in linking up he is really important, and the pressing from him is really good."

Cristiano Ronaldo's refusal to come on as a substitute against Tottenham can be put down to him being the kind of player who "can't accept being left out", says former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.

Ronaldo was temporarily exiled from first-team activities by Ten Hag after refusing to enter the fray in United's 2-0 win over Spurs, before making a goalscoring return in Thursday's 3-0 Europa League victory over Sheriff.

The 37-year-old top-scored for United with 24 goals in all competitions last season, but has only made two Premier League starts since Ten Hag took charge.

Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have defended former team-mate Ronaldo since the incident, and Scholes has now joined them, saying he understands the striker's frustration with his new back-up role.

"The longer the game goes on, the more upset you get, the red mist comes over you," Scholes told BT Sport.

"You're not thinking properly. For him [Ten Hag] to ask him to come on with two minutes to go, he will think: 'Is he taking the mickey out of me?'

"He thinks he should be playing every single game, and some players just can't accept being left out. The longer that game went on, the more and more furious he got.

"I think the manager has to show a bit of common sense. You're looking back at an experienced player, and you're asking them to come on in a game that's won.

"I've heard a lot of people say Sir Alex would have gone crazy or mad, but I don't think he would have done that. With two minutes to go, you bring a young kid on or give someone his debut.

"I think it's disrespectful towards Cristiano, but it's difficult to say it's disrespectful because it's the manager's job, and he's got every right to ask him to come on.

"It's clear Cristiano isn't in his plans. He doesn't see him as part of his team in the big games in the league, the big European games later in the competition, he sees him more as a substitute."

Scholes was speaking from experience, having refused to play for United in an EFL Cup tie against Arsenal back in 2001, and he sympathises with Ronaldo despite his mistake.

"It's difficult to explain your emotions at the time," Scholes added. "It was a low point of my career, something I look back on and really regret – it was so wrong to do.

"I sympathise with Cristiano. He did the wrong thing but your head completely goes.

"That's what probably happened with Cristiano, he's had a similar way of thinking where he's been left out of a game, so he will be raging.

"He's still not come on and he will be thinking, 'I can come on, score three or four goals against this team, easily'."

Cristiano Ronaldo will get more goals after netting on his return to Manchester United's line-up says Erik ten Hag, who explained Antony's early substitution in the 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff was planned.

Ronaldo was dropped for the draw at Chelsea last time out following his refusal to appear as a substitute during the previous game against Tottenham, but rounded off a routine 3-0 victory that secured the Red Devils' top-two place in Group E.

It marked the Portuguese superstar's first goal of the season at Old Trafford and Ten Hag, who saw Diego Dalot and Marcus Rashford also score, is sure there is more to come.

"Seeing Ronaldo get his goal was great," Ten Hag said during his post-match interview with BT Sport. "He created, the team created for him, and we know he has the capability to finish. He needed a goal and now I'm confident there will be more goals.

"[The team's performance] was okay. Of course, you hope you score in the first half hour, so it took a bit long, but we deserved that goal.

"The second half, we scored two more good goals from open play and I'm pleased with the clean sheet because we gave nothing away. It was a focused win."

The United head coach also defended his decision to substitute Antony at half-time. With the game still goalless, the Brazil international came under scrutiny for showboating as he performed a double spin before sending his subsequent pass out of play.

When asked if the former Ajax winger was replaced for that incident, Ten Hag replied: "No. It was more or less planned if we were up.

"I wanted to see Marcus and Cristiano close together, and the dynamic on the right side."

United must now beat Group E leaders Real Sociedad by two goals next week to advance to the last 16, while avoiding a potentially tricky play-off knockout-round clash with a team dropping from the Champions League.

Rashford, who scored his 99th goal for the club on Thursday, insists the Red Devils are relishing the task ahead.

Assessing the Sheriff victory, the England forward said: "Not getting the first goal quickly leads to a mix between frustration and calmness, you have to be calm to create chances and be clinical in taking them.

"Scoring before half-time was a big help, it allowed us to look for more goals and space, and we found them. It was about getting the job done.

"We have to go [to Real Sociedad] and score by two goals. We have to score goals, but defend well. It is going to be a tough game, but looking forward to the challenge."

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