Rene Meulensteen Cristiano Ronaldo
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he is spoilt for choice with two specialist goalscorers in Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani. Ronaldo crowned his Manchester United homecoming with two goals in the 4-1 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford, where Cavani was absent due to a knock. Cavani, 34, was granted extended leave during the summer and has only played 37 minutes in the last 11 weeks, while there are still understood to be issues over his availability for certain matches. Mason Greenwood has excelled in Cavani’s absence but the re-signing of Ronaldo is particularly crucial as United have a proven goalscorer to lead the line.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Edinson and Cristiano have been notorious goalscorers. And they have that sense and feeling of when to arrive in the box and they know what can happen. They have played the game, they have played in every single situation and they have got that little knack, that little sense that you feel as a striker where they think, ‘I’m going to arrive here’. And that was a typical goal where people say, ‘oh it was just a tap-in’, but there is more to it than that. You have got defenders watching [the ball] but he’s anticipating that rebound. It was a great goal. If Cristiano takes the defenders away on a run then that might open the space up for others and I think the last goal today was a brilliant example of Cristiano going to the back stick and maybe opening up that space for Anthony and Jesse to combine in the middle.”
Ronaldo could start again in United’s Champions League opener against Young Boys in Bern on Tuesday, held five days before their next Premier League fixture at West Ham.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added: “The other thing with Cristiano is that he looks after himself so much. So I know he will recover quickly and he has had a pre-season and, of course, it’s important that we get everyone up and running and to get him up and running and to give him 90 minutes. Of course, there is a game on Tuesday. We will see what we do. But no, it’s not impossible to leave him out. He is 36, Mason is 19, it’s the same: I have to manage his minutes, and I have to manage a 36-year-old’s minutes as well.”
