No regrets resting Ronaldo against Everton-Ole

 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he has no regrets resting returnee Cristiano Ronaldo even as United were held to a 1-1 draw at the Old Trafford on Saturday.

United missed the chance to move top of the Premier League and needed a late VAR call in their favour to avoid a second consecutive home league defeat.

Yerry Mina’s late winner for the Toffees was ruled out by a review for offside after Andros Townsend’s excellent equaliser had cancelled out Anthony Martial’s opener for United.

Solskjaer’s decision to start Ronaldo on the bench will be questioned as the Red Devils have now won just two of their last six games in all competitions.

But the manager defended that call and his side’s start to the season as they moved level on points with Liverpool and one ahead of champions Manchester City before those two teams clash at Anfield on Sunday.

“You make decisions throughout the season, you’ve got to manage the players’ workload,” said Solskjaer. “The decision was, for me, the correct one today.”

“We have started better than last season, but it is still not what we wanted.”

Ronaldo’s heroics deep into stoppage time against Villarreal on Wednesday saved United from having a mountain to climb to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.

But Solskjaer did not risk the 36-year-old with a third start in a week as he took his place on a star-studded bench alongside Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba among five changes.

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Martial’s inclusion was the surprise with Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek also left on the sidelines.

The Frenchman struggled to impress in his few previous outings this season and missed a glorious early chance when he mistimed his jump for a free header at the back post.

But Martial made amends two minutes before half-time when he latched onto a Bruno Fernandes pass to fire beyond Jordan Pickford thanks to a slight deflection.