Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Manchester United against Sheriff Tiraspol and remains a vital member of the Portugal squad despite his lack of Premier League minutes, manager Fernando Santos has declared.
The Red Devils take on Moldovan outfit Sheriff in their second Europa League group-stage game on Thursday evening. Erik ten Hag's side are in need of a positive result after falling to a 1-0 defeat at home by Real Sociedad last week.
They cannot take Sheriff for granted, as the minnows beat Cypriot club Omonia 3-0 in their continental opener and memorably defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last season. Ronaldo was handed a rare start against Sociedad and Santos claims he will keep his place in the line-up despite failing to score against the Spaniards, seeing a fine goal disallowed for offside.
