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Wednesday has started with news about the approach between Cristiano Ronaldo and Chelsea. In the last hours of the summer transfer market, according to the English press, the Premier League team has become the only option left for the Portuguese to leave Manchester United and thus play his fetish competition: the Champions League. However, the coach of the Manchester United team, Erik ten Hag, has a radically different stance. For the coach of the 'Red Devils', the veteran Portuguese forward will remain at Old Trafford, at least until the end of the year.
In the preview of the match against Leicester City, for the fifth round of the local championship, the coach born in the Netherlands has been clear about Cristiano Ronaldo's future: he stays at United and there could only be news in the winter transfer market, which opens on January 1, 2023.
"The window will end like this (with the signing of Dubravka). You always have to be alert, but we will go from September to January with this squad. Offensively, we needed to strengthen the team," said Ten Hag referring to Cristiano Ronaldo's continuity in the squad.
In the same line, the Manchester United coach explained that the arrival of Antony, for 100 million euros from Ajax, will not affect the regularity of the veteran Portuguese forward in his starting eleven. Ten Hag wants all quality players available.
"It's clear. We need quality players like Cristiano to face all the matches we have ahead. The arrival of Antony stems from the need we had to strengthen the team offensively," added the coach of the Carrington team.
When was the last time Cristiano played the Champions League?
Cristiano Ronaldo has played the group stage of the Champions League uninterruptedly since the 2003-2004 season, his first at Manchester United after coming from Sporting Lisbon. With the Lisbon team, he had only played the qualifying round.
Since 2003, the Funchal-born player has participated in the Champions League for 19 consecutive years with United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. The 2022-23 season would be the first in which Ronaldo's absence would be noted, something he never imagined when he decided to return to Old Trafford a few months ago.
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