Sporting boss wants Ron on bench in possible Euro clash

SPORTING Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has begged Erik ten Hag to keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in the event of his side being drawn against United in the Europa League play-off round.

- GEORGE SMITH

The Reds, who will be going in search of a fourth successive victory in all competitions when they face Aston Villa at Villa Park today, will participate in a two-legged play-off fixture in February to try to reach the last-16 of the competition.

The draw will be conducted on Monday and the Reds could face any one of the eight clubs that have dropped into the Europa League, including European giants Barcelona and Juventus. They also face the possibility of being drawn against Ten Hag's former club, Ajax.