Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo showed off a sumptuous bit of skill during the Red Devils’ latest training session.
Erik ten Hag ’s men are back in action on Thursday night as they renew rivalries with Premier League rivals Aston Villa. United will no doubt still be reeling from their 3-1 defeat at Villa Park in the league at the weekend, with former Arsenal boss Unai Emery getting his spell in the Midlands off to the perfect start.
Now, though, the two sides meet in Carabao Cup action at Old Trafford and Man Utd have been hard at work as they attempt to find a way past Villa and into the last-16 of the competition.
One man who seemingly is keen to make an impression is Portuguese forward Ronaldo. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star has not enjoyed the best season so far with just three goals to his name in all competitions, whilst controversy has surrounded him.
He requested to leave in the summer, a move proving difficult to facilitate, whilst he was also dropped by Ten Hag for refusing to come on as a substitute in October’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite that, Ronaldo is still displaying his quality in training with an eye-catching bit of skill at the forefront of his latest session. In footage shared by the Red Devils, the Portuguese was displayed flicking the ball up before passing his left leg over it.
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He then used his right foot to flick the ball even higher and then caught it on his chest, slowly leaned back.
Despite his skill, some of his teammates did not seem particularly impressed. Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek instead focused on the ball, whilst striker Anthony Martial only afforded him a slight glance.
It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo’s small show was enough to catch the eye of boss Ten Hag as he selects a side for the Villa clash. The Dutchman has already hinted that the game could see a handful of academy graduates get an opportunity to play.
Speaking in a special supporter-led press conference, he said: “I am open to bringing young players, you have seen the last couple of games we bring in Alejandro Garnacho because he deserves it by his performances on the training pitch, and if players deserve it and can contribute to our success, we will bring them.
“So I'm also open for other players and Manchester United have a big reputation for bringing up young players from the academy into the first team.”
Following their showdown with Villa, United round-off their pre-World Cup commitments with a clash with newly-promoted Fulham at the weekend.
