Portugal manager Fernando Santos has suggested he will not drop Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench.
Ronaldo, 37, has started just one Premier League game against Brentford this season with Erik ten Hag preferring to play Marcus Rashford down the middle. Ronaldo has been limited appearances from off the bench and a total of 207 league minutes.
The centre-forward scored 24 goals in all competitions last season and he was United's leading goalscorer by some distance, but he expressed it was his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer and he's lost his starting place after remaining at the club.
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Although Ronaldo has been dropped at his club, he started both of Portugal's games during the international break. Ronaldo failed to score against the Czech Republic and Spain, which led to manager Santos being asked whether he would drop the forward.
"What interests me is how the team played. Ronaldo had three or four chances. Two very good ones, which he usually scores. He didn't score. It's football," Santos told reporters during his post-match press conference on Tuesday night.
"This is the second time we've conceded a goal right at the end [after the Serbia defeat]. If we have to defend we should defend with everything. The players and I are devastated at the end of this game. Did I learn from the Serbia game?
"You can't compare this game to the Serbia game. Against Serbia we scored but then we did not create any more chances. We've changed a lot since then, the way we play, the way we think about the game. Of course there are always things to improve.
"This elimination doesn't undermine me at all. I have a contract until 2024."
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