Ten Hag warned Ronaldo: "The important thing now is Fulham, not the WC"

Cristiano Ronaldo did not play against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. The player missed the game due to "illness", the club explained tersely.

Ten Hag hopes to have him available for the clash against Fulham, the last Premier League game before the World Cup break. "I can't guarantee whether he is ready or not now. He was ill for that game against Aston Villa, but I think he can recover from that. What he's got doesn't take days or weeks. It's possible he will be available this Sunday," he said.

Ten Hag took the opportunity to issue a warning to him and the other internationals in the squad. He doesn't want to be distracted by the World Cup: "Everyone is aware of the importance of the match against Fulham. I don't take the World Cup into account. We are playing against the best team and, until Sunday, the focus should be on United and only United.

The Red Devils coach calmed Southgate over Maguire. "He will be ready. I see him every day in training and in games. He's back from injury but I think he's ready to perform at the highest level.

Finally, he spoke about Jadon Sancho's absence from the England squad: "He's had his ups and downs. He's had some good performances lately and he's on the right track, but he's been out for a few weeks and it's normal not to be called up. Coaches take the fittest players to the World Cup.