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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is happy to stay at the club.
Ronaldo was widely reported to be pushing for an exit from Old Trafford due to his desire to play in the Champions League but offers were seemingly not forthcoming.
With the transfer window closing on Thursday, Ronaldo is set to remain at the club until at least January, barring any last-minute offers, but Ten Hag is adamant the 37-year-old is not disappointed by that outcome.
“We are on the same page. [He is happy to stay] otherwise he wouldn’t be here,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“From the start we said we planned with him, we are happy with him, he’s happy to be here, and we want to make the season a success together.”
Pressed on how Ronaldo – who has not started United’s last two matches – could fit into his tactical approach, Ten Haag expressed confidence the former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar could settle into any system.
“The way of playing, the set of demands, you can see in training Ronaldo has the ability,” he added.
“He will fit in because, I don’t have to explain, he is a great player with great capabilities. He will fit in every system and every style. We are on one page, and he knows what the demands are.”
Ten Hag has added to his ranks in the final days of the window with the capture of Antony, with the winger signing from former club Ajax for a fee of £85million (€100m).
Antony’s arrival came just over a week after United had spent a reported £70m (€80m) on Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, but Ten Hag made it clear such spending was necessary.
“All the top clubs in the Premier League spent a lot of money, that is how the market developed,” he explained. “I can do nothing about it, no one can, it’s just the market. We have to accept how it went.
“If you want to compete at the top, you don’t have a choice. All the Premier League clubs spent this kind of money. If you want to fight for the top four positions you have to do it, and we have the ambition, especially over the long term, to play for trophies, so I think we had to do it.”
United face Leicester City on Thursday, seeking a third Premier League win in a row after starting the campaign with back-to-back defeats.
