(Football news) It was a packed Old Trafford on 11th September 2021 as Manchester United fans celebrated the return of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Theatre of Dreams once again. When he left the club in 2009, Ronaldo had won everything there was to win in England, Europe and around the world but the club he rejoined more than a decade later was a shadow of its former self, a far cry from the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson. He was meant to be the messiah, a truly world class player who had won it all and could take the club that he has loved back to the summit of world football. Unfortunately, dreams don’t always come true and his first season at Manchester United has been more of a nightmare than a romantic reunion.
Manchester United are currently 7th in the Premier League, three points behind Tottenham and Arsenal but the Gunners have a game in hand and could potentially be six points ahead. The possibility of Champions League qualification remains a distant dream for Ralf Rangnick’s side and Ronaldo has never played in the Europa League in his illustrious career. He may be 37, but a player who has won five Champions League titles surely deserves to play in Europe’s elite club competition doesn’t he? After all, he was one of the biggest reasons Manchester United managed to progress past the Group Stage this season. As things stand, it doesn’t seem likely that we will be hearing the iconic Champions League anthem at Old Trafford next season but a lot can change between now and when the season ends.
More importantly, it’s clear that Edinson Cavani will be departing in the summer while Mason Greenwood is suspended indefinitely and Marcus Rashford has had an abysmal season so far. The 24 year old cannot be counted as a reliable option up front and cannot even get a game over the inexperienced Anthony Elanga at the moment. This leaves Cristiano Ronaldo as the only reliable striker in the team but at 37 years, a club of Manchester United’s stature should not depend on a player who, despite being a credible goal threat, offers little else in other aspects. Getting a young and proven striker will be one of the biggest priorities for Manchester United in the summer, but does that mean that Ronaldo will have to settle for a place on the bench?
Ronaldo has transitioned from being a winger with pace and skills to a lethal striker with incredible movement in the box, an aerial presence and a poachers instinct. However, to make use of these traits, the club needs to have players around him who can provide the service for Ronaldo to capitalise on. Moreover, Ronaldo has been quite wasteful in front of goal, uncharacteristically missing opportunities that would have surely gone into the back of the net years ago. The blame doesn’t sorely lie on his teammates, Ronaldo himself has offered little apart from his goal scoring traits, which means that combined with his poor work rate, he might not be the most reliable option for Manchester United going forward, especially under a new manager who might want to significantly overhaul the team’s structure and tactics.
The club signed Ronaldo on a two year contract in 2021 and unless their intention is to extend that contract, this summer might be their only opportunity to cash in on the four time Ballon d'Or winner. He might be 37, but there will definitely be clubs in Europe who have qualified for the Champions League and would be more than happy to take Ronaldo, especially considering that it could be a very lucrative investment in terms of shirt sales and sponsorships. A return to Sporting CP could also be a possibility as his mother Dolores Aveiro has previously said that her biggest desire is to see her son return to the Portuguese club one last time. What is abundantly clear is that Ronaldo certainly has the talent to compete at the highest level, but there are limitations to his game and his future definitely looks uncertain, especially if the club fails to qualify for the Champions League next season.
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