Erik ten Hag has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to make an impact on his first start of the season for Manchester United, despite a shortened pre-season.
Ronaldo came off the bench in the defeat to Brighton last week but with Anthony Martial still out injured, the 37-year-old is back in the side against Brentford.
The forward missed the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia and played just 45 minutes in pre-season before his second-half cameo last week, but he's back in the side in London.
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“It’s short [his pre-season] but Ronaldo is Ronaldo, he can do that, he proved it so often in the past, he’s a really fit guy and he has to show it today," Ten Hag told MUTV.
Scott McTominay is the man to make way, with Christian Eriksen dropping back from the false nine role he occupied last week into a central midfield position.
Eriksen starts against the club that handed him a chance in the second half of last season and Ten Hag believes he's developing a relationship with Bruno Fernandes that could be beneficial for United.
“He [Eriksen] has to dominate the game like everyone, he can be effective in possession, he can make the difference as we all know, his creativity with Bruno, they link every day better with each other and I have expectations from that," said Ten Hag.
The Dutchman played down concerns about the weather, with the temperature around 34 degrees at kick-off.
“I don’t talk about it, we have to play the game, for both teams it’s hot, it’s a matter of mentality, that’s what we have to show," he said.
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