Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he has no regrets about not starting Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Everton, which left his team with just two wins from six games.
Solskjaer has picked Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial at Old Trafford – it was the first time Ronaldo had been picked off the bench for a Premier League match with United since May 2007 – claiming the squad needed to recover after 2-1 ‘physical and emotional’ fatigue Win over Villarreal on Wednesday.
The decision seemed justified when Martial gave United the lead just before the break, and despite Ronaldo’s introduction before the hour mark, Everton scored through Andros Townsend in the break-up to send United into the international semi-final unconvincingly.
When asked after the game if he regretted leaving Ronaldo on the sidelines, Solskjaer replied: “No. You make decisions throughout a long, long season; you have to handle the load of players’ work and the decision for me was the right one.
“Anthony Martial did well, scored a good goal. Edinson [Cavani] needed minutes and could have scored a goal. We have to make those decisions then. “
After Bruno Fernandes’ weak corner was cleared, United midfielder Fred had two chances to win the ball from Demarai Gray on the sideline before Everton escaped and scored. Solskjaer says the problem should have been addressed early.
