Ole explains why Ronaldo was demoted to the bench versus Everton

Ole rings the changes

Following a last gasp victory over Villareal in midweek, Manchester United take on Everton in the early kick-off slot on Saturday as they look to keep pace with the Premier League leaders ahead of the October international break.

To this end, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rung the changes, leaving out star trio Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, all of whom started in the Champions League.

In a much-changed side, Luke Shaw returned to the side from injury, while Harry Maguire remains out after limping out of their clash against Aston Villa.

This means that Victor Lindelof partners Raphael Varane, with a rare start for Anthony Martial in attack alongside the returning Edinson Cavani.

Ole explains Ronaldo and Pogba absence

When asked about his team selection, Ole was quick to point to the efforts made on Wednesday night, which saw Pogba, Sancho and Ronaldo all start the game, and the Portuguese forward ultimately net the winner in the 95th minute.

The Norwegian boss said:

“Wednesday night was a big effort, a big emotional and physical output, so we needed to freshen it up when it’s an early kick-off. The start of this game is going to be very important, and we’ve got some very good players coming on.”

Will they prove decisive from the bench?