Erik ten Hag refuses to confirm whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Manchester United against Brighton as uncertainty over his future simmers

Erik ten Hag has declined to be drawn on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Manchester United when Brighton host this weekend.

An injury to Anthony Martial has led to questions about whether Ronaldo could start the Red Devils’ Premier League opener, despite his lack of pre-season action.

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CR7 continues to be a big talking point in the footballing world after revealing his intention to leave Old Trafford this season.

It comes as the 37-year-old looks to play Champions League football in the remaining years of his career.

Ronaldo was limited to just 45 minutes of pre-season action under Ten Hag, before making headlines for leaving the clash with Rayo Vallecano early – with the manager later confirming he was not the only.

With a Premier League opener against Brighton coming up this weekend, talk has turned to whether Ronaldo will be involved against Graham Potter’s side, particularly given the lack of depth currently available in the squad. attack areas.

However, at his pre-Brighton press conference, Ten Hag refused to confirm his plans either way with a flustered response to questions about Ronaldo’s early exit from Old Trafford last week.

He said, “What do you mean? Now I have to point the finger at those who have left, there have been a lot of players who have left, but the spotlight is on Cristiano and that’s not good.

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“So do your research and identify many remaining players, that’s what was said. I don’t understand what the relationship is, he was part of it. There were a lot of players. »

Pressed to answer, he continued: “What do you mean? I’m really happy, I told you before, we have a top striker, really happy that he’s here with the team and that we stick to the plan.

“I think we’ve said enough [players leaving early]. I said that was wrong. I’m happy with the whole team, we work well, good culture and Cristiano works really hard and hard.

“You mention it [that it is unacceptable]you fix them, then move on.

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Asked if Ronaldo will start against Brighton, Ten Hag replied: “We’ll see on Sunday.

“I’m happy with the whole team, we work well, good culture and Cristiano works very hard and hard. I’m really happy.

“We have a better striker; really happy he’s here with the team and we’re sticking to the plan.

The Premier League is back and talkSPORT has it covered, with games on Friday, Saturday and Monday, starting with Crystal Palace against Arsenal on August 5