Cristiano Ronaldo facing prospect of staying at Man Utd until at least the re-opening of transfer window in January but manager Erik ten Hag adamant he and the forward are on the same page and he would not stay at Old Trafford if he did not want to
Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo would not remain at Manchester United until at least January if he did not want to.
With Thursday's transfer deadline looming, Ronaldo's efforts to leave United in search of Champions League football are nearing a fruitless end, and he faces another five months in Manchester before the re-opening of the window may present an opportunity to move.
Questioned if he had spoken to Ronaldo, United boss Ten Hag said: "Several times, yes. We are on the same page. [He is happy to stay] otherwise he wouldn't be here."
United's imminent £86m capture of Brazilian forward Antony from Ajax could further limit the amount of game time available to Ronaldo, who has started just one Premier League game this season, but for Ten Hag, the summer spending is a clear signal to him of the club's ambitions.
"It's a signal, yes, but all the big clubs in the Premier League have spent a lot, so it's the market," he added. "From the start we said we planned with him [Ronaldo], we are happy with him, he's happy to be here, and we want to make the season a success together.