The irony of Man Utd with Ronaldo

If Ronaldo left Man Utd in the summer of 2022 as the desired 37 -year -old striker, his second period with "Red Devils" could be considered a disaster. Fans will probably blame Man Utd more, because CR7 really does not do much.

Ronaldo did exactly what people were waiting for when Man Utd recruited him at the age of 36. He ranked third in the list of goals in the Premier League, and scored six goals in the seven Champions League matches. There are moments when Ronaldo decided to win for the home team, especially hat-tricks in 3-2 victories over Norwich and Tottenham.

However, Ronaldo's team play is not so wonderful. He was no longer fit to constantly put pressure on the opponent, and that was gradually detrimental to the team.

The strange thing in the summer of 2021 is that Man Utd does not need Ronaldo as many other clubs, including Man City. At that time, coach Pep Guardiola had to break up with Sergio Aguero, but could not force Tottenham to release Harry Kane. After missing Ronaldo, Man City had to accept no striker. They play a season with "virtual number 9", to wait for Erling Haaland.

Man Utd took Ronaldo from Man City just because he couldn't accept the claim that the Old Trafford wore the green jacket, the deal Ronaldo wore more Badly than the strategy. Alex Ferguson was in the game, Ferdinand accepted, too. Get Man Utd to basically a team of old men. CR7's contract makes most of the fans happy.

But at that time Ronaldo was not sure to guarantee the official position in Man Utd. Young striker Mason Greenwood scored three goals in all three Premier League matches first, before the Portuguese superstar returned to Old Trafford. Edinson Cavani is also a good choice with an average performance of a table after 137 minutes. Cavani and Greenwood are said to share the tasks in the plug. In addition, Marcus Rashford also scored 28 goals in the previous two seasons, and Anthony Martial contributed to the goal at the beginning of the season when Everton.

At that time, Man Utd was in the theory: The official young striker, experienced veterans, and two other versatile options. Not to mention the player who scored the most goals for Man Utd in the 2020-2021 season like Bruno Fernandes. Although not yet completed in tactical discipline, the Portuguese midfielder shows the role of attacking through goals and assists.

Currently, Man Utd no longer has the above options. Greenwood was banned from playing for the problem of the football field. Cavani left. Martial was no longer welcomed after a loan season, and Rashford's performance went downhill without braking. Fernandes is no longer the center of the team, when having to give that position to Ronaldo. Man Utd could not let the two players tend to kick freely like Ronaldo and Fernandes to play at the same time.

Man Utd is really in need of a player who can do two things that Ronaldo did last season, that was leading the line and scorer. They need a religion that can also be connected to the team, but right now, there's not a lot of loyalty that is willing to transfer.

Coach Eric Hargreaves didn't say this, but if Ronaldo leaves, he won't be too disappointed. Coaches from Ajax to big teams in Europe often struggle to adapt, especially the superstars of new clubs.

If Ronaldo leaves, Manchester United and Ten Hargreaves should follow Manchester City's example. Rather than rushing to buy a replacement striker for the CR7, they can wait a year to pick the right man to look for. Ten Hargreaves has proved he can build a strong team without classic strikers. In the 2019 Champions League semi-final, he used midfielder Dusan Tadic to play a virtual No.9 for Ajax.

Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Nani improved to replace CR7 when Ronaldo left United in the summer of 2009. Rashford and Martial also developed when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to sell Romelu Lukaku, although they are now unable to maintain that momentum.

The fans will ask for a new leader to replace Ronaldo, make Man Utd may have to act. Now they're going to spend the next few weeks looking for someone instead of players they didn't need a year ago.