Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his second Manchester United debut against Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.
The Portugal international has been training with his new team-mates for the first time this week as they prepare to welcome Steve Bruce’s side to Old Trafford at the weekend.
Excitement has been building since Ronaldo’s return was announced two weeks ago with fans desperate to see him in action in a United shirt again and Solskjaer confirmed he will have a part to play on Saturday.
What has been said?
Solskjaer would not confirm if he would start but did say he will be involved.
The United boss said: “He's been having a good pre-season with Juventus, played with the national team and had a good week with us, he'll definitely be on the pitch at some point, that's for sure.”
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Speaking about how he will manage Ronaldo, Solskjaer said: “He knows that I’ve got to make the decisions when to play him, when not to play him. Any player wants to play as much as possible, of course they do.
“It’s my job to manage him and get the best out of him. I want to see the best out of him and, of course, that comes with communication with him. He doesn’t need me to tell him what to do. He's always had the determination and desire to be the best and he still has.”
What’s the other team news?
With Ronaldo’s involvement confirmed, Solskjaer spoke about the other options he has available to him.
“They're all training. Dean [Henderson] has not got the after-effect (of Covid) and tiredness anymore, that's very positive. Telles is not 100 per cent yet, he’ll still be a few weeks and Scott [McTominay] has recovered very quickly from the operation,” he said.
“If he’s going to play or not, I’m not sure, but probably not, depending on who we've got available and who we can use. Jadon's come back in with a minor knock but he has trained the last couple of days and is determined to be fit and he's available so that's a positive.
“Cristiano's trained all week so he’s available. The internationals, we didn't get anyone injured, Luke [Shaw], Harry [Maguire] and Victor [Lindelof], played late on Wednesday night so they’ve not had a lot of recovery but they will be available, I think.”