Portugal boss Fernando Santos has indicated that he will not drop Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench.
This season, Erik ten Hag has only started Ronaldo once in a Premier League matchup against Brentford. The United boss prefers to play Marcus Rashford down the middle.
Ronaldo has been limited to appearances from off the bench and a total of 207 league minutes.
Meanwhile, the center forward was by far United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals across all competitions.
However, he declared his intention to leave Old Trafford in the summer, and he has since lost his starting position after remaining at the club.
Will Ronaldo Drop To The Portugal Bench?
Despite being dropped to the bench by his club, Ronaldo started both of Portugal’s matches during the international break.
After failing to score against both the Czech Republic and Spain, manager Santos was questioned about dropping the attacker.
“What interests me is how the team played. Ronaldo had three or four chances. Two very good ones, which he usually scores. He didn’t score. It’s football,” Santos told reporters during his post-match press conference on Tuesday night.
“This is the second time we’ve conceded a goal right at the end [after the Serbia defeat].
“If we have to defend we should defend with everything. The players and I are devastated at the end of this game. Did I learn from the Serbia game?
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“You can’t compare this game to the Serbia game. Against Serbia we scored but then we did not create any more chances.
“We’ve changed a lot since then, the way we play, the way we think about the game. Of course there are always things to improve.
“This elimination doesn’t undermine me at all. I have a contract until 2024.”
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