Man Utd beat Nottingham Forest in their first Premier League match since Cristiano Ronaldo had his contract terminated by the club.
Christian Eriksen admits Manchester United are ‘sad’ that Cristiano Ronaldo left the club, but insists they are already moving on from his high-profile departure.
United played their first Premier League match since Ronaldo’s exit as they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred.
It’s now been over a month since Ronaldo’s contract was terminated by the club following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan prior to the World Cup in Qatar.
The Portuguese forward claimed he felt betrayed by the club and openly criticised both manager Erik ten Hag and the Glazer family during the explosive interview.
Ronaldo’s exit has left United light on options up front heading into the second-half of the season, and, despite scoring three times against Forest, adding a new striker remains the priority next month.
Speaking after the match, Eriksen admitted that Ronaldo’s exit was unfortunate, but insisted that they were fully focused on moving on without him.
“First of all, we are sad that Ronaldo is not part of it,” Eriksen told reporters after the win over Forest.
“His legacy and his name at any club is special. For me to be fortunate to play with him in my career was very nice.
“The football goes on. You feel that the next game after, people will forget what it was like before, and now our focus is really like he is not here.”
Rashford is one of those who has stepped up to the plate since Ronaldo’s departure, scoring in both matches since club football resumed.
His fine form could hold the key to United’s hopes of a top-four finish this season, and Eriksen is delighted to see the England international bounce back from World Cup disappointment so quickly.
The Danish playmaker added: “He played very well, and luckily I haven’t been on the pitch where he has played a bad game yet. I let him continue that, he is looking sharp and confident, and you can feel that when he is going forward. You feel that in the stadium, and you feel that with him, and it is a nice thing, and I hope he keeps it going.
“You can see that he came back pretty confident. I didn’t see as much of his (England) games, of course, you guys will have seen more, but he came back in good shape, and luckily he has taken that into United.”
SOURCE: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
