Erik ten Hag has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to rediscover his golden touch after the Manchester United man scored in Thursday's 3-0 Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol.
The 37-year-old returned to the squad after burying the hatchet with Ten Hag over his refusal to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur before storming down the tunnel last week.
Ronaldo had started all four of Man United's Europa League games prior to matchweek five, and he was drafted back into the first XI for the visit of the Moldovan champions.
The Portuguese veteran initially endured a frustrating evening at Old Trafford, missing a couple of gilt-edged chances and seeing a goal ruled out for offside.
Ronaldo booted the ball into the crowd in anger after his first strike was chalked off, by which point Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford had put the Red Devils 2-0 to the good.
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However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner got his reward in the 81st minute, pouncing on a rebound after Maksym Koval had initially parried away his header.
That close-range strike represented Ronaldo's first goal of the season at Old Trafford and just his third in all tournaments, but Ten Hag expects the attacker to increase his tally forthwith.
"He was great. He created chances and the team creates for him. He needs a goal to get over that point and I am confident he will get more goals," Ten Hag said.
"I wanted to see Cristiano and Marcus Rashford close together, and that is why we made our planned substitution of taking Antony off. Our substitutions were planned. We are confident going into the final game in what we have to do."
A strong overall performance from Ronaldo saw him fire seven shots at the Sheriff Tiraspol goal - three of which were on target - and he also posted a 95% pass accuracy.
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However, the 37-year-old's future remains the subject of much speculation in the wake of his tunnel-storming incident, as his contract has less than 12 months left to run.
There is an option to extend Ronaldo's stay until the end of the 2023-24 season, but he is widely expected to depart on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus man reportedly wanted out in the summer, but his push to force a move away were unsuccessful, despite the best efforts of Jorge Mendes.
Sporting Lisbon and Napoli have already ruled out moves for Ronaldo, but a host of MLS clubs are reportedly keen to bring him to the United States.
Victory over Sheriff Tiraspol confirmed Man United's place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, and they will aim to seal first place and a last-16 berth when they travel to face group leaders Real Sociedad next week.
Ronaldo will now look to make just his third start of the Premier League season when Man United tackle West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
