Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes Cristiano Ronaldo can still score more than 20 goals per season, despite the Portuguese star's playing time being restricted this season.

Ronaldo was absent from the "Red Devils" team during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the 13th stage of the competition because of his punishment after refusing to participate as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, and he left the field shortly before the end of the match.

Observers praised United's performance against Chelsea as the best image of the team since Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford, and further evidence that United as a team is better without the presence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Ronaldo returns to scoring again 😍👏 #European_League #Manchester_United_Sherif #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/LAwlv8A0Ts

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) October 27, 2022

But Ronaldo, 37, returned to the starting lineup in the 3-0 victory over Sherif Tiraspol of Moldova yesterday, Thursday, in the European League competition, to conclude his team's goals, raising his score to 3 goals in 13 games in all competitions this season.

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The Dutch coach did not rule out that the Portuguese scored more than 24 goals, which is his total last season.

"It's up to him," Ten Hag said. "But I think when you collect all the chances the team has been creating for him in the past weeks, you see that he's still able to position himself and I know he can still finish those chances (in the net)," So it's possible."

Ronaldo played mainly in the league during only two matches under the supervision of Ten Hag, while the situation is different in the "European League", where he participates mainly in most matches.

However, the former Ajax Amsterdam coach rejected the suggestion that he was using the "European League", which is considered the second most important competition after the Champions League, as a way to give Ronaldo the time he craves on the field.

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"I don't have a team dedicated to Europe or another to the Premier League," he added, "I am looking forward to the opponent and what we need against him. Now I have to focus on the match against West Ham and United on Sunday."

After a disastrous start that saw him lose his first two matches in the Premier League, United's performance improved in recent weeks, but it failed to translate its dominance on the field into goals, to achieve only two wins in the last 5 league matches, compared to a defeat and two draws.

"It takes time to develop a team," explains Ten Hag. "You can't go from zero to 100. You have to build from the basement and you need the foundation before you go up."

United are sixth in the league with 20 points from 6 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats, 8 points behind leaders Arsenal.