Erik ten Hag has expressed his delight for Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar scored his 700th club goal in Manchester United's 2-1 win at Everton on Sunday.
The 37-year-old, who was named on the bench for the Red Devils' trip to Goodison Park, came on in the 29th minute for the injured Anthony Martial, and it is safe to say he made an instant impact. Ronaldo netted the winner just before half-time with a neat finish after being played through on goal by Casemiro.
Alex Iwobi had given Everton the lead with a sumptuous strike, before Antony equalised almost instantly as he finished off a sharp United move. The Red Devils dominated the first-half and could've scored before Ronaldo added his second goal of the campaign, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner showing composure to beat Jordan Pickford.
It was a landmark strike for Ronaldo, who has become the first player in the modern era to strike 700 professional club goals, and he will be hoping that strike can reignite his United career. When asked about Ronaldo's achievement, Ten Hag believes it will help the experienced forward score more goals in a United shirt.
He said: "It's difficult to say. It's clear to say it is a massive performance from the player. Congratulations to Cristiano. I'm happy for him. Also that was his first goal this season in the Premier League so it will help him to score more goals in the coming weeks."
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The win was United's fourth Premier League success in five matches with Ten Hag's side climbing back into fifth in the table. It was an important three points following the Red Devils' 6-3 defeat at Manchester City last time out in the league and Ten Hag was pleased with his side's character and performance.
He added: "We wanted a reaction [from the Man City defeat]. We got it already in Cyprus and we had to finish this week good and we did. We develop as a team. We have steps to go. There's room for improvement but the first half was quite good. We controlled the game in and out of possession.
"I'm really happy. A long time since Man Utd came back from a setback with a goal to win the game. That's good for belief in this team that they can do it.
"Twice In three days we have to stay composed and stick to the plan and see what can happen. An unlucky situation can change a game but it can't change the plan. You still have to come back. That's what happened today and on Thursday.
"You never get everything [right in a game]. Football is a game for mistakes. We had really good situations in the game. You could see the principles of how we want to play. We made a good goal out of transition twice."
