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Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Manchester United take on Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, September 8. This is according to The Metro, who also report that the likes of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw will also return to the starting XI.
The Red Devils have been drawn alongside Real Sociedad, FC Sheriff Tiraspol and AC Omonia in Group E of the tournament.
Manchester United have registered four consecutive wins in the Premier League. However, they have done it without needing to start Ronaldo. Erik ten Hag has gone with a youthful and energetic attacking frontline comprising of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga and new signing Antony.
Ronaldo last started a game for the Red Devils against Brentford, where they lost 4-0. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is yet to score or provide an assist this season.
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However, with Ten Hag expected to make a few changes in the Europa League, one can expect the Portuguese forward to lead the attack once again. So, should Ronaldo start, it will only be his second start of the 2022-23 season.
It is worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave Manchester United in the summer to compete in the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese forward, however, did not manage to secure a move away from the club and will be staying at Old Trafford for at least another season.
Ronaldo, therefore, will be competing in the Europa League for the first time since 2002 when he represented Sporting CP against Partizan Belgrade. Back then, the tournament was called the UEFA Cup.
How has Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo performed against Real Sociedad?
Cristiano Ronaldo has faced Real Sociedad on numerous occasions when he was playing in La Liga with Real Madrid. The forward has faced Sociedad nine times in his career and has managed to win on all of those occasions.
In those nine outings, Ronaldo has scored 15 goals, including hat-tricks on two different occasions. He scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad back in 2013 in a 5-1 victory for Real Madrid.
The current Manchester United then netted another hat-trick in a 5-2 win for Los Blancos back in 2018, his last season in Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo will face Real Sociedad as a Manchester United player for the first time in his career should he feature on Thursday.
