Portugal boss' Cristiano Ronaldo claim piles more pressure on Solskjaer

Portugal manager Fernando Santos has declared Cristiano Ronaldo "needs playing time" after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer controversially benched the Manchester United forward.

Ronaldo, 36, was named in the matchday squad but left out of the starting XI for the first time since he returned to Old Trafford as Everton came calling last Saturday.

Solskjaer's decision drew widespread criticism from pundits and even Sir Alex Ferguson, while Ronaldo was reportedly furious to have been benched.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the club's top scorer this season with five goals and made an appearance in the second half, but was unable to prevent United slipping to a 1-1 draw.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer risked Cristiano Ronaldo's wrath by benching him against Everton ( Image:

REUTERS)

The bold call to leave Ronaldo out of the starting line-up was even more surprising given the veteran striker had a full week to recover before Portugal's encounter with Qatar this Saturday.

A relatively untaxing international break then wraps up with a World Cup qualifier against European minnows Luxembourg on Tuesday.

Santos has been keeping a close eye on his captain's game time for the Red Devils and he is concerned his last 90 minutes came on Wednesday 29 September, when he scored an added-time winner against Villarreal.

The Portugal boss stressed Ronaldo's "rhythm" is of the utmost importance as he explained why he is likely to feature against Qatar despite the fixture only being a friendly.

"He will go to the game because he needs playing time. It's important to him at this stage," said Santos of Ronaldo on Friday.

"The last full game he played was in the Champions League. If he only plays against Luxembourg, he will have practically 15 days without playing with intensity.

Fernando Santos is concerned Cristiano Ronaldo will lose his "rhythm" if he does not play regularly ( Image:

SIPA USA/PA Images)

"At this point I will say that there are strong possibilities of Ronaldo going to the game against Qatar, either starting or coming on later during the second half, so that the competitive rhythms are at their maximum against Luxembourg."

Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer in international football in early September as he scored his 110th and 111th goals for Portugal against Republic of Ireland.

His next aim is to become the most-capped player at international level, a record currently held by Soh Chin Ann, who played 219 games for Malaysia.

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But Santos insists Ronaldo's involvement against Qatar is not purely to help him boost his appearance tally, which currently stands at 180.

"Thinking about the game against Qatar is not about records, he (Ronaldo) will always beat that record. He's not worried about it," said Santos.

The 66-year-old's comments suggest Ronaldo has no plans to retire from international duty any time soon as he looks to add to his Euro 2016 and Nations League triumphs.