MANCHESTER: Manchester United may be forced to rule out Cristiano Ronaldo for Sunday's Premier League opener after Anthony Martial was injured.
The Red Devils open their campaign against Brighton at Old Trafford and Ronaldo, previously not first choice for new manager Erik ten Hag, could be forced into the starting line-up.
The Hag had previously been reluctant to offload Ronaldo as the Portuguese star was not with the team during the pre-season tour and is still hoping a move will go through. Martial injured his hamstring against Atletico Madrid in Norway on Saturday and will miss the first contest under the Ten Hag.
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo was once expected to warm the bench due to insufficient training. - AGENCY photo
Ten Haga's other options to lead the forward line include Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga - with Jadon Sancho expected to be sidelined through illness.
Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 games last season but United fell just short of finishing in the Premier League's top four groups.
United's failure to qualify for Europe's Champions League prompted the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to move to another team. - THE AGENCY
