Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to start for Manchester United after handing him his second debut for the club against Newcastle.
Ronaldo is in from the start for United and Solskjaer confirmed the 36-year-old had impressed with his attitude in training this week, after returning early from international duty.
Solskjaer expects the presence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to lift the standards of everyone else in his squad, with the rest of the side desperate to prove themselves to Ronaldo.
“He’s ready, he’s been focused, professional, meticulous in everything he does, that means a lot to everyone else.
"You look at him and what he's done and everyone wants to prove to him what they can do," said Solskjaer to MUTV.
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“The excitement is here, you can feel the atmosphere and the buzz, ever since Cristiano signed everyone has been happy, there’s been a buzz and that’s how it should be with Manchester United.
"Cristiano has had a fantastic career but he’s coming in to help the team, he’s not coming in to show off himself, he’s going to try to give us the extra edge so we can go one further."
Ronaldo starts in the side ahead of Anthony Martial, while the other change from the team that beat Wolves is Nemanja Matic coming in for Fred, who only got permission to play this morning after a row between Premier League clubs and the Brazilian football federation (CBF).
The decision to start Ronaldo has been made easier by the absence of Edinson Cavani, who has trained for the last two weeks at Carrington after Uruguay excused him from international duty but has picked up a knock and doesn't feel ready.
“He’s still not ready, he got a knock in training, hopefully it won’t be too long," he said.
The Manchester Evening News has a 20-page Viva Ronaldo special supplement in today's edition. To order your unmissable copy click here.
