Erik ten Hag explains why he dropped Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United’s Premier League opener

Erik ten Hag has explained his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Brighton.

Ronaldo still wants to leave United this summer but offers for the Portugal legend have not been forthcoming.

Due to personal issues, Ronaldo missed the start of Manchester United’s pre-season schedule, only playing 45 minutes in the club’s final friendly fixture against Rayo Vallecano.

Ten Hag says this is the reason he opted to bench Ronaldo for United’s first Premier League game of the season.

Speaking ahead of the Brighton clash on Sunday, Ten Hag said: ‘Yeah, it’s been a short pre-season [for Ronaldo].

‘He only started training last week and has only had 45 minutes on the pitch. He’s not at the fitness levels as the rest of the team.

‘We saw this weekend in the Premier League they have been really tough, high-intensity games, pressing from the front. So you need to be fit to do that.’

More to follow…