For Wednesday night's Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham, Erik ten Hag has explained why he once again benched Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was benched for the Old Trafford match, which saw the Red Devils easily defeat Spurs 2-0.

Even though Ronaldo scored a hat-trick last season against Antonio Conte's team, Ten Hag preferred Marcus Rashford over the 37-year-old up front.

The Portuguese being benched caught everyone off guard, but Erik ten Hag insisted it was the right decision.

“We are building for the future, but the future is tonight,” the United boss told Amazon.

You pick the line-up that you think has the most chance to win, and you have a game plan. Cristiano [Ronaldo] is an important player and he can score a goal.

“I have to deal with all the players’ expectations and I have to deal with developing this team." You have to make a game plan.

“This is a good Tottenham team, a compact, a transition team with high intensity, and I think this is the best way to start like this." You get more runs behind, more dynamic up front. "

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 14 goals in 20 games against Tottenham.