By Daniel Feliciano

25th Oct, 2022 | 3:36pm

Cristiano Ronaldo to return to Manchester United squad for clash vs West Ham United

West Ham United are likely to have to deal with an angry Cristiano Ronaldo this Sunday after he was brought back into the Manchester United squad.

The Portuguese forward was left out of the squad at the weekend as the Reds drew 1-1 with Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute during their midweek win over Spurs, while West Ham beat Bournemouth 2-0 controversially on Monday.

But with West Ham the next visitors to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, Ronaldo is set to be back in the fold after returning to first-team training following talks with Erik Ten Hag.

Both clubs will play in Europe on Thursday, with Ronaldo likely to feature in that game for Man United, before their Premier League clash at the weekend.

But now that he is available for selection once again David Moyes will have to plan for the likelihood that he could come up against the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen, meaning West Ham’s task undoubtedly just became more difficult.

Blow

There’s no doubting that Ronaldo is one of the very best forwards to ever play the game, so the potential of coming up against him makes defending harder.

But there is also a conversation to be had about whether Manchester United are better or worse with him in the side this season, and his return could actually be a positive to the Hammers.

If he’s up front the team lacks fluidity and pace, and while he remains a huge threat in and around the box, the defenders we have will be confident that they can contain him if they perform as a unit.

The main issue will be the fact that he is returning with a chip on his shoulder ready to prove a point to the fans, media and manager who have doubted his abilities this season.

When Ronaldo has a point to prove he invariably tends to make it loud and clear, so it could be a difficult Sunday afternoon up north if he gets the chance.