Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo must work harder with and without the ball to regain his place in the team.
Ronaldo has been dropped to the bench for United’s last three Premier League matches, coming on as a substitute against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City.
The Portugal forward will hope to earn a recall to the starting XI for today’s clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford but Ten Hag has preferred to use Marcus Rashford as his central striker in recent weeks.
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Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s match, Ten Hag made it clear he will support Ronaldo but expects him to offer more than he did last term as the Dutch boss looks to put his own stamp on the team.
"I will be his friend," Ten Hag told the Manchester Evening News. "Sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation. As we all know, he didn’t have the pre-season and you can not miss the pre-season, it’s a base. Especially the game we play, the way of play is not the type in comparison with last year.
"It depends on the demands, co-operation and demands certain positioning, in and out of possession. And the other thing is the fitness."
Ronaldo wanted to leave United in the summer transfer window to play Champions League football and was linked with a host of clubs including Chelsea but a move never materialised.
Arsenal go into the game looking to extend their perfect start to the Premier League season with a sixth straight win that would see them move four points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
United, meanwhile, have climbed up the table with three consecutive victories, most recently beating Leicester 1-0 on Thursday. Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1 the night before.
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