“I want to get the best out of him; he’s in better shape now and I’m happy with that” – Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo lacked fitness at start of season

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that Cristiano Ronaldo lacked match fitness at the start of the season.

The Red Devils will take on Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday (October 13), where Ronaldo is expected to start. However, the Portuguese superstar has struggled for both minutes and goals. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has started only four of ten games this season, including once in seven Premier League outings.

Ten Hag has reiterated his support for Ronaldo and is happy that the ex-Real Madrid forward is getting back to his best.

During his pre-match press-conference ahead of the Omonia game, Ten Hag said, as quoted by Manchester Evening News:

"I want to support him as good as possible. We have certain demands from players, what we expect in certain positions. I want to get the best out of him; he's in better shape now and I'm happy with that."

The new Manchester United manager highlighted the importance of pre-season, saying:

"At the start, it was the case (lack of fitness), it's proven once again, no one can miss a pre-season."

Ronaldo missed United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons. He played only 45 minutes of the last pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford amidst reports of his Old Trafford exit.

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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo netted milestone strike last week

Cristiano Ronaldo might not be having the best of seasons, but he continues to create new milestones despite being in the twilight of his career.

The Portuguese superstar came off the bench against Everton on Sunday to score the winner in a 2-1 comeback win in the Premier League at Goodison Park. In the process, he became the first player in the game's history to score 700 goals in club football.

Most of those strikes - 450 - came with Real Madrid during a prolific nine-season spell. In two stints at Manchester United, he has scored 144. Ronaldo has netted 101 goals for Juventus and five for his boyhood club Sporting CP.

Cristiano Ronaldo also has an impressive record in international football, having scored a record 117 goals for Portugal. That's eight more than previous record holder Ali Daei of Iran.

The 37-year-old will look to add to his two goals this season and continue the momentum from his winenr at Everton.