Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Manchester United against Newcastle

Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, making his second debut for the club from the off against Newcastle United.

The Red Devils' fanbase has been kept on tenterhooks all week over whether the 36-year-old would grace the Old Trafford turf from the first whistle, or they would be forced to wait and see him enter as a second-half substitute.

But Saturday afternoon's team news confirmed that Ronaldo has been selected as part of Man Utd's lineup to take on Newcastle, and will start the match for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

There has been plenty of anticipation in the build-up to the Magpies' trip to Manchester this weekend, with the entire world expecting to see the return to the Premier League of one of the Red Devils' greatest ever players.

Ronaldo re-signed for Man Utd in the summer transfer window, leaving Juventus after three years in Turin. He won two league titles with the Italian giants, but failed to make any progress in bringing Champions League glory to the Bianconeri.

He grew tired of his surroundings in Serie A and asked to leave the Old Lady in the summer, sparking rumours of a return to the Premier League. Manchester City appeared to be his next destination, but Man Utd swooped to hijack the move and bring him back to the club where he first rose to stardom.

Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or as a Man Utd player, and claimed the first of his five Champions League winners' medals as a Red Devil. He has made the switch back to Old Trafford with the intention of lifting the club back to the top of the Premier League table, and has even insisted to his teammates that they 'need to win' the league this season.

He flew into Manchester earlier than expected, having picked up a suspension on international duty with Portugal, allowing him to serve his quarantine period and join his teammates in full training prior to the Newcastle game.

Questions were raised over Solskjaer's selection headache, and whether he would deploy the Portuguese icon from the first whistle, or make supporters wait to give their standing ovation. Unfortunately for Newcastle fans, the Norwegian boss has opted for the former, meaning Ronaldo will be on the hunt for his first goal back in England from the very beginning.


Source : 90min