Izuchukwu OkosiManchester United manager Erik ten Hag is pleased to see a renewed interest by iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo in helping the club reach its goals for the 2022/2023 campaign.
The Portuguese superstar according to media reports in the UK refused to come on two minutes to the end of United’s game against Tottenham Hotspur which they won 2-0.
Ronaldo threw a strop and walked out of the pitch for apparently being considered for just two minutes in such a high profile game.
That led to his suspension for the game against Chelsea which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Erik ten Hag later reinstated Ronaldo to the fold and he played in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol in which he scored the last goal in a 3-0 win, his 701st club career goal.
Responding to questions from the media in Friday’s pre match press conference ahead of the team’s clash against West Ham United on Sunday, the Dutch tactician expressed belief that Ronaldo can reach the soaring heights of last season.
“It’s up to him, but I think when you collect all the chances he creates, the team creates for him in the last weeks, you see he’s still capable to get in the right positions and he’s still capable of finishing them. I think it’s possible.
“I know some see it like this but I don’t have a Europe team and I don’t have a Premier League team. I look at the opponent and what we need, what suits the opponent.
“Now I have to focus on West Ham United for Sunday. We will pick the team to start but also have a plan B or plan C in the pocket to win that game.
“That’s what we need finally, to win games, and for that we not only need 11 players, we need the whole squad.”
Speaking on United’s improvement, Erik ten Hag urged supporters to buy into the project of gradually building the team to where it ought to be.
“To develop the team takes time. You can’t go from zero to 100. You have to construct it from the outside, you need development before you go to the top, to the roof.
“Unfortunately it takes time and I don’t have time, I’m really the most impatient, but I have to, it’s quite clear. Now, I think we’re getting better defending with 11.
“Players are more and more aware of it, that we have to do it with 11. Also our build-up, I think we’re improving game to game. Now, we need to do more to develop our attacking game but it’s the most difficult part so it takes even more time.
“You can’t increase the tempo of that process. I want it but we have to take the time for it,” the former Ajax manager further stated in his Friday’s press conference.
The Manchester United game against West Ham United will kick off 4.30pm Nigerian time on Sunday evening.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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