Erik ten Hag has said he expects Cristiano Ronaldo to be available for Manchester United‘s last game before the World Cup and insisted his international players will not get the weekend off before the tournament in Qatar.
Ronaldo missed United’s 4-2 League Cup win against Aston Villa on Thursday with illness, but Ten Hag said he plans on having the striker in his squad for the trip to Fulham on Sunday.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The 37-year-old will head to Qatar with Portugal, who begin their campaign against Ghana on Nov. 24, after being named in their squad for his fifth World Cup.
“He was ill so he can recover from that,” Ten Hag said, when asked about Ronaldo’s availability at Craven Cottage. “It is not a serious illness that takes days or weeks so he can be in the squad.
“The players are all aware of the importance of the game against Fulham and I will not take the World Cup in regard. We play the best team and until Sunday it is the interest of Manchester United and only that.”
Like Ronaldo, Harry Maguire will be part of the tournament after he was named in England‘s squad on Thursday.
The defender was handed a rare start against Villa on Thursday but has found opportunities hard to come by at Old Trafford this season.
