It was not the dream return to the starting line-up Cristiano Ronaldo had hoped for, as Manchester United saw their recent winning run come to a frustrating halt against Real Sociedad with a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in their Europa League opener.
Having failed to secure a transfer to a Champions League club, the Portuguese striker had to settle for playing in Europe’s second-tier competition for the first time since 2002.
But it was far from smooth even in the lower tier. United pinned Real Sociedad in their own half, with Christian Eriksen finding spaces for Anthony Elanga and Ronaldo but the Spanish team held on with the help their centre-backs.
Ronaldo found the back of the net in the first half, only to see the goal flagged offside. After Eriksen was replaced by Bruno Fernandes for the second half, United lacked creativity and Real Sociedad started to grow in confidence.