Cristiano Ronaldo will remain on a 45-minute limit when Al Nassr face Al Taawoun on Friday, with Ange Postecoglou saying the club is still managing the forward’s workload as he works back toward full match fitness.
That means the key question for Al Nassr is not whether Ronaldo is available, but how long he will be on the field. Postecoglou made the update in his pre-match news conference before Friday’s Saudi Pro League fixture, keeping the same cap that has shaped his recent minutes and leaving his exact role against Al Taawoun unconfirmed.
The limit is the latest sign that Al Nassr are using Ronaldo carefully rather than treating him as a full-game option. Postecoglou said the plan before the Al-Ettifaq match was for him to play 45 minutes after featuring for 30 minutes in the previous outing, and that he should gradually build back to full match fitness. For now, the coach said 45 minutes is the right ceiling.
What happened in that match helps explain why the issue has stayed in focus. Ronaldo was taken off in the first half against Al-Ettifaq, and Postecoglou described the change as tactical, part of a workload plan rather than a response to any confirmed injury. He also said he understood the forward’s frustration. Ronaldo was furious at halftime, but later he was back with the team and leading the celebrations after the win.
That reaction matters because it shows the gap between the club’s plan and the player’s instincts. Ronaldo wants to stay on the pitch. Al Nassr want to protect him and keep his return to full sharpness under control. The compromise is a controlled minutes load, even in a match that matters immediately in the Saudi Pro League race.
What comes next is straightforward, even if the selection is not: Al Nassr still have to decide whether Ronaldo starts against Al Taawoun or waits to come on within the 45-minute window. Until that is set, the update is less about a lineup card than about how long the club believes it can keep stretching the runway before handing him a full game again.
