Erik ten Hag says he cannot wait to welcome Cristiano Ronaldo back into the Manchester United fold but is not sure when the forward will return. Ronaldo has been left out of the squad so far due to personal reasons, while speculation about his future continues to circulate after it was revealed he wanted to leave.
However, Ten Hag has maintained that the 37-year-old will stay at Old Trafford next season and is eager to see how he fits into the team's new playing style.
What has Ten Hag said about Ronaldo?
Asked if he was concerned about the Portugal star's absence and if he knows when he will be back in the team, Ten Hag said: "No, it's the same as last week. Of course [United would like Ronaldo back], concerning is maybe not the right word.
"I focus on the players who are there and they are doing really well. They are in good shape and I have further focus on that and develop that.
"I cannot wait for him to come in and then we will integrate him."
The likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes have linked up well so far in pre-season and Ronaldo would add further firepower to that attack.
"They connect really good together," Ten Hag said.
"When you see that you are lucky as a manager, we have a threat, we have weapons and we have to improve that every day, to develop that."
Will Ronaldo leave Man Utd?
Ronaldo's future has been in doubt since he expressed his desire to leave the club ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Ten Hag has insisted that Ronaldo is "not for sale", however, and even suggested that he could end up staying at United beyond the end of the coming campaign.
He said: "Yes [he could stay beyond this season], but, to be honest, of course I have signed here for three years, but in football it's short-term as well."