Solskjaer defends decision to bench Ronaldo as Rashford, Maguire close on return

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo before the international break, adamant he is trying to learn from his own mistake of overexerting his players.

Ronaldo was surprisingly named among the substitutes as United could only draw 1-1 with Everton in their most recent Premier League match.

United produced a disappointing performance as they were left with just two wins from their past seven home games in the league.

Ronaldo came on in the second half to make his 200th top-flight appearance for United, becoming only the fifth player since 2003 to reach that milestone in two of Europe’s big five leagues.

The Portugal star looked furious as he walked down the tunnel after that match and a video posted by Mixed Martial Arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov – who was a guest of the club – showed Alex Ferguson questioning Solskjaer’s decision to rest Ronaldo in a conversation with him.

But while Solskjaer says he would like to play Ronaldo – who scored four goals in two games for Portugal over the past couple of weeks – as much as possible, he insists he is looking out for United’s collective conditioning in the long term.

“He’s an exceptional player, finisher, goalscorer and professional,” Solskjaer told reporters ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leicester City.

“It’s hard to leave him out and everyone would love to play six games [in a row] and play the same XI, it’s great, but it’s rotation [they need].

“We need to get to May with everyone firing. We got to May and the final stretch last season and we were a little tired.

“I’m the manager, I manage for the club, but of course it’s nice to have him on the pitch because he’ll always come up with the goods, and the more we have him on the pitch, the better.”

While many will expect Ronaldo to start at the King Power Stadium, he could potentially be joined in attack by Marcus Rashford for the first time.

England international Rashford has not played since Euro 2020 after undergoing surgery on a persistent shoulder injury in August.

Solskjaer confirmed the forward will be in the squad on Saturday and did not rule out him starting, though the game will come slightly too soon for captain Harry Maguire.

“[Rashford] is in the squad, yes. If he’s starting or not, I can’t tell you because it wouldn’t be right, but he’s been really bright this week.

“He had a 60-minute involvement in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week, so he’s fit and raring to go.

“Harry’s just joined us on the grass this morning, so that was the first time he’s been on the grass.”

Fellow England international Jesse Lingard has been the subject of significant speculation in recent months after a blistering loan spell with West Ham last season.

His contract expires at the end of the season and he has been linked with numerous clubs, including Barcelona, though Solskjaer was unequivocal in his desire to keep Lingard at Old Trafford.

“Jesse’s had a good start to the season, come on and scored a few goals,” Solskjaer said. “He’s been important for us.

“We want to prolong his contract; we see him as an important player. It’s up to him to get more playing time, and maybe it’s up to me giving him more playing time because he deserves to [play], but I always have to leave players out.

“Hopefully we can get a deal sorted for Jesse, because we really rate him and value him around the club. He’s a top player and a top person.”