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Cristiano Ronaldo could start when Manchester United travel to London to face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday (August 13). The Red Devils will hope to pick up their first points of the season following their 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Erik ten Hag decided against starting Ronaldo against Brighton due to the forward's lack of match sharpness. The Portuguese came on as a second-half substitute but failed to make a goalscoring contribution.
Ronaldo has a very good chance of starting against Brentford. Ten Hag has confirmed that the forward has trained well leading to the game against the Bees. The Dutchman has already made up his mind but didn't speak it out.
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Ahead of the Brentford game, Ten Hag said (via the club's official website):
“So, he had a good training week. I thought he played a little bit longer than half an hour (against Brighton). I would say he now has two half a games. The starting XI, we will see tomorrow. I, of course, have made my decision, but I (will) keep it.”
If Ronaldo starts, he could be the lone forward, with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford on the flanks. Anthony Martial has still not recovered from his injury and will not feature against Brentford.
Brentford are coming off a spirited 2-2 draw against Leicester City in their opening game. Thomas Frank's side were 2-0 down, but Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva forced a share of the spoils.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo perform when Manchester United faced Brentford last season?
Cristiano Ronaldo featured in both games against Brentford last season. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did not make a goal scoring contribution when United secured a 3-1 win at the Brentford Community Stadium in January.
Ronaldo had a better game against the Bees in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford. United secured a 3-0 win, with the Portuguese forward getting on the scoresheet. Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes were the other goalscorers.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended the 2021-22 season as United's leading goalscorer with 24 strikes in 38 appearances across competitions.
