Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defends decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo against Everton

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists that he will decide when Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Manchester United after facing criticism for resting his superstar against Everton.

Solskjaer came under fire for starting Ronaldo on the bench when United were held 1-1 at home by Rafael Benitez’s side in their last game before the international break.

Ronaldo stormed off down the tunnel at the end of the game, and former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was later heard on a social media video saying that a manager should always start with his best team.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) insists he will decide when Cristiano Ronaldo (right) plays

Ronaldo stormed off down the tunnel at the end of the 1-1 home draw against Everton 

Solskjaer was also criticised for taking off Ronaldo in a Champions League tie in Bern last month when United suffered a late defeat to Young Boys.

But the United boss defended his decisions, saying: ‘I’m the manager. I manage the players for the club. It’s nice to have him on the pitch because he’ll always come up with the goods. The more we have him on the pitch the better.

‘He’s an exceptional player, an exceptional finisher, goal scorer, and an exceptional professional. It’s hard to leave him out and I think everyone would love to, how do you say, if you can go and play six games in six days and play the same XI every time, it’s great.

Solskjaer spoke to the press on Friday about his bold decision not to start Ronaldo

Solskjaer was also criticised for taking off Ronaldo in a Champions League tie in Bern

‘But rotation, we need to get to April and May with everyone firing. We got to May in the final stretch of last season and we were too tired.’

Solskjaer revealed that Harry Maguire trained with his team-mates on Friday morning for the first time since suffering a calf injury against Aston Villa three weeks ago.

However, Maguire is unlikely to face his old club Leicester on Saturday with central defensive partner Raphael Varane already ruled out with a groin strain, so Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof are set to play at the back.

Solskjaer also effectively ruled out Edinson Cavani and Fred, who played in Brazil’s 4-1 win over Uruguay, which kicked off in the early hours of Friday morning.

Solskjaer revealed Harry Maguire trained on Friday but he is unlikely to be fit for Saturday

‘Harry has joined us on the grass this morning, and that’s the first time he’s been on the grass,’ said Solskjaer. ‘It was Amad Diallo’s first time on the grass as well so we look quite strong.

‘International breaks are sometimes the time to cross your fingers and hope for the best because as we see with Raphael, he’s got an injury and is out for a few weeks. But Victor and Eric played in the internationals and got good game time, so that’s good for us.

‘Fred and Edinson played a full game this morning, a 1.30 kick-off. We’re not counting on them so they have time to rest and recover. They played well and weren’t injured. Hopefully they can be involved in midweek in the Champions League.’

Solskjaer also confirmed that Marcus Rashford will be available for the first time this season at the King Power Stadium after recovering from shoulder surgery in August.

Solskjaer also effectively ruled out Edinson Cavani (right) and Fred (left) from the game

‘He’s in the squad, if he’s going to start or not, I can’t tell you now. He’s worked really hard throughout the lay-off and been really bright this week. He had a 60-minute involvement behind closed doors last week so he’s raring to go.’

The visit to Leicester kicks off a run of six key fixtures that also sees United face Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City in the Premier League and a double header with Atalanta in the Champions League.

Solskjaer added: ‘I can’t think Atalanta or Liverpool, only Leicester. The key is we think one game at a time. We’re looking forward to this run. Every good player wants to play the best teams and we’ve got some of the best teams coming up.’

Solskjaer also confirmed that Marcus Rashford will be available for the first time this season