Incoming Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag drops huge hint he will keep ‘giant’ Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford next season
ERIK TEN HAG dropped a huge hint he will keep “giant” Cristiano Ronaldo.
The new Manchester United boss hailed the Portuguese star, 37, after drawing his final game in charge of Ajax.
Ten Hag, 52, starts work at United this week and wants Ronnie to stay put.
He said: “At United, there are a lot of good players. We have to make them function as a team, but definitely Ronaldo — he is a giant.”
Ronaldo said: “He did a fantastic job at Ajax. But we need to give him time.”
Ten Hag will not travel to Ajax’s end-of-season trip to Curacao in order to start work at Old Trafford immediately.
With so much to do to sort out the shambles at United, the Dutchman wants to get going as quickly as possible.
He added: “Tomorrow there will be a party with the staff, but I am not going to Curacao.
“I think that’s understandable. There is a lot of work to do there. That is the case with every club.
“A number of things still need to be organised in the staff and also in the selection.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
“We will be working intensively on this from tomorrow.”
In the 2-2 draw with Vitesse, Ajax striker Brian Brobbey slotted a shot under keeper Markus Schubert to open the scoring 15 minutes in.
Lois Openda’s quick-fire double, both from close range, after half-time put the hosts ahead.
But Mexico midfield ace Edson Alvarez headed in from a corner with three minutes of normal time remaining to extend Ajax’s unbeaten league run to ten games.
Ten Hag applauded the travelling fans after the match as he said goodbye for the final time.