Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo desperately needed to break his goalscoring duct after the Portuguese forward finally got his first of the season on Thursday night.
The 37-year-old scored a penalty in the 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol as the Manchester club got their first points on the board in the UEFA Europa League.
This strike was the veteran's first goal in eight appearances in this campaign and the 699th of his club career.
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Having scored on 24 occasions in the 2021/22 season, Ten Hag has no doubt that Ronaldo will continue to find the net in the upcoming games.
"Ronaldo needed that goal," the Dutch manager said, per the Daily Mirror.
"Many times he came close [in the season so far], but he wanted that so much.
"We are happy for him, and the team wanted to bring him a goal. You know that Cristiano will score a penalty.
"He's [Ronaldo] really close, when he gets more fitness he will score more.
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"He's totally committed to this project, totally involved, he also has connections that are coming around him [on the pitch] and he is constructing connections so I'm happy with that."
However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will have to wait before he can continue his goalscoring run as United's Premier League clash with Leeds United has been postponed due to policing issues, meaning that they will not make another appearance until next month's clash with Manchester City.
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