Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United training late last week and made his preseason debut against Rayo Vallecano.
Ronaldo’s return wasn’t the smoothest, with Ronaldo blazing a chance over the bar and lasting only 45 minutes. He then abruptly exited the stadium, infuriating manager Erik ten Hag.
What happened next was always going to be significant. Rather than becoming a bigger problem for Ten Hag, Ronaldo has been working hard to become a solution.
This is especially welcome after the news of Anthony Martial’s injury, which has ruled the Frenchman out of Manchester United’s season opener.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s training attitude is ‘excellent’
The good news is Ronaldo has been knuckling down and focusing on Manchester United. He is reportedly impressing in training and has even been staying late for extra shooting practice.
The Mail report: “Insiders say he has shown an excellent attitude in training, even staying behind for extra finishing practice with Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, and Alejandro Garnacho.”
This is encouraging to hear, and it is good to see Ronaldo’s extra dedication is rubbing off on some of his teammates too. It’s no surprise Alejandro Garnacho is following his lead, to do extra training with his idol.
Manager Erik ten Hag will be quizzed over Ronaldo at his press conference later, where he will be asked for an update on his fitness.
Ronaldo has been working to try and show Ten Hag he is fully fit to try and make the opener against Brighton.
His last game against the Seagulls was a very unhappy one, but in the meeting at Old Trafford he scored in a 2-0 win, and whether he starts or contributes from the bench, he will be looking for a similar impact on Sunday.
United may have looked on Ronaldo as a luxury option a week ago. Now he is back to being a necessity.
