With two weeks remaining until the start of the Premier League, Erik ten Hag stated that Manchester United couldn’t wait for Cristiano Ronaldo – and they couldn’t experiment too much either.

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He said that at a press conference the day before Manchester United ended their Australian tour with a practice match against Aston Villa.

– We don’t have much time, we have to be ready by August 7th, said ten Hag.

In a practice match against Crystal Palace last time out, the Dutchman made only one change in the first half, when Donny van de Beek replaced Scott McTominay. The rest of the first eleven are considered to have played more than an hour in a 3-1 win.

– I can’t give all the young players the chance they might deserve, because we have to form a team. “I have to prioritize, but in the future they will play an important role in building the club,” said the Manchester United coach.

Only 15 players were given chances from the start in three training matches against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace. Reserves and other youngsters have to make do with drop-ins.

In the top spot, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have started all matches, except for one match in which Anthony Elanga replaced Rashford.

– They work very well together. When you see something like this, you are lucky as a manager. We have threats, we have weapons. We have to improve every day and develop it, said ten Hag of the favored front quartet.

Only when the team returns to Manchester will Erik ten Hag have the opportunity to integrate new signings Lisandro Martínez and Christian Eriksen into the team.

At the same time, Cristiano Ronaldo is still not part of the team’s pre-season, which Ten Hag thinks is not ideal.

– Of course, but worried might not be the right word. I’m focused on the players who are here. They are doing well and in good shape so I prefer to develop them. I can’t wait for it, said the Dutchman.

The future of Portugal still seems to be in the blue. The Manchester United manager said the situation was the same as last week.

Previously, the Manchester United manager had said that Cristiano Ronaldo was not for sale and he was part of the club’s plans. When the team traveled to Thailand, the Portuguese were not there. Ten Hag stated that it was for “personal reasons”.

Prior to Saturday’s game, ten Hag said the club depend on reinforcements if they are to succeed.

– We need more options to attack. I think it’s alpha and omega if you want to be successful, because the seasons are so long. We still have time to fill up, he said.