Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to be unleashed by Erik ten Hag in Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad.
Manchester United have injury concerns over Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford so the 37-year-old has a chance to start.
Ten Hag said: “I think for the rest we have doubts with Anthony Martial.
“But he’s been training all week with the group, so I’m really happy with this situation. He’s been performing very well in training, he’s making a good impression.
“Rashford, he’s going back to training, so we’re happy with that as well.”
Ronaldo is in dire need of a goal after suffering a poor start to the season for club and country.
He played in all six of the Red Devils’ league games, but only started against Brentford.
Moreover, the ex-Real Madrid player has failed to score in the Premier League this season.
But he managed to find the net in Man United’s 2-0 win over FC Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League.
Ronaldo even struggled for Portugal during the international break, failing to score in two matches.
He provided an assist in a 4-0 win over the Czech Republic, but his performance against Spain was heavily criticised.
Ronaldo would therefore need a goal and a big performance, and the Manchester derby could be the perfect opportunity.
Ronaldo stats vs Manchester City
Games played: 15
Goals scored: Five
Wins: Nine
Premier League matches: 11
Premier League goals: Three
Champions League matches: Three
Champions League goals: One
FA Cup matches: One
FA Cup goals: One
Ronaldo, as he does against most teams, has a strong record against City.
He played them 15 times in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
In those encounters, Ronaldo’s side have won nine times, drawn twice and lost four.
The Manchester United icon has a three-goal record against the Citizens and has scored against them in all competitions, scoring five goals in total.
So you could say he needs to score a goal against City to start his campaign.
But in the Premier League, Ronaldo has scored just three times in 11 games against neighbors Man United.
In fact, he’s only one goal more than red cards in the top-flight clash between Man United and Man City.
And he has the same number of yellow cards, so while his record looks good overall, in the Premier League it’s not stellar.
But Ten Hag’s side head into the derby in good shape and look dangerous.
The Red Devils won’t have much possession against City, but that might suit them as they had less possession against Liverpool and Arsenal.
This style of counter-attacking that Ten Hag has adopted in big games could get the most out of Ronaldo.
He’s in the later stages of his career, but still has explosive pace from close range, and if Man United can provide the serve, he could certainly score a goal and maintain his record against the Citizens.
There are plenty of question marks over Ronaldo after a tumultuous summer, but these are the games he’s thrived on in his career, so don’t be surprised if he appears with a goal or a great performance.
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