Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of his squad for coming fixtures.
The 37-year-old Portuguese superstar has been rumoured to be on his way out of the club all summer, with Napoli the latest club he has been linked with.
However, nothing concrete has materialised, with the transfer window set to close tomorrow night.
Ten Hag held a press conference today ahead of tomorrow night’s Premier League visit to Leicester City and he was asked if Ronaldo was still part of his plans.
“Clear. Of course. What I just said, we need quality players and you need more to cover all the games to keep also the consistency going. That is what we strive for,” he noted.
The club announced yesterday an agreement with Ajax for Antony, and Ten Hag hinted that the Brazilian forward’s acquisition and the impending arrival of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will be the end of United’s transfer dealings in this window.
“Offence and offensive departments still we need to strengthen that squad, our squad because we have many games to cover,” he said about Antony’s importance.
“From now on we go in three games a week, every third or fourth day. As you know especially from offensive players they are quicker [to] fatigue because they have to run more, they have high intensity.
“We expect that from them in our way of play. So we need numbers there but not only numbers. We don’t need only quantity, we need quality.
“For this window it (Dubravka’s signing) will be the end. But when there is great opportunity you have to always be alert as a top club.
“Also, Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) is still [in my plans]. He will stay in so this squad we will go from September to minimum January but we will play with this squad this season.”
After a nightmare start to his Manchester United career with two defeats in his first two games, United have won the last two under Ten Hag, and he hopes to kick on.
“I see it as a start. I think now we have a good base, but this is the minimum what we have to bring,” the former Ajax boss explained.
“I was happy to see that turn and we have to keep this spirit and to keep this winning mentality because you need it if you want to get a successful season. You need it in the squad.”
Leicester City, who have Nigeria internationals Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho in their squad, are yet to win after four games but Ten Hag insists they are not to be taken lightly.
“I’ve seen a couple of games and also we knew from the last seasons how good they are,” he adds.
“I think you can also see that in the games they’ve played until now. The identity is really good to see. They play really good football, so we have to be really good to get a result there.”
