Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag makes Cristiano Ronaldo claim amid difficult period

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has insisted Cristiano Ronaldo can still have a positive impact for his side this season despite the striker enduring a difficult start to the season.

Ronaldo has registered just three goals in 16 appearances for the Reds so far this term, with the forward making just 10 starts for Ten Hag's men in all competitions. The 37-year-old, who expressed his desire to leave the club in the summer, has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in the new year.

However, his manager still believes that the Portuguese star can play an important role for United in the second-half of the campaign, suggesting that the former Real Madrid man is popular among his teammates.

Ten Hag dropped Ronaldo from his squad for one match after he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur last month, with the frontman training alone at Carrington for a period of time.

"I have to deal with all the players, and obviously, Cristiano is always a big issue because he is one of the best ever in the world and he is now performing and it's great to work with him," Ten Hag told Sky Sports.

"The players, the team, are really happy that he is in our dressing room, but I have to deal with him. But also, you will not getting, say, the marriage from what you did in the past, you can always be judged by what you're doing in the present.

"He can still do it, he already showed this season he can have an impact and when he is good, he makes a difference, so I am hoping to push him in that way that he makes that impact on the team, that he makes a positive difference for us."

Ronaldo has scored just one Premier League goal for United this season, which came in the 2-1 victory over Everton in October. MEN Sport understands that Ten Hag will be without Cristiano Ronaldo, Antony and Jadon Sancho for the clash with Fulham on Sunday.