Manchester United have scripted a remarkable turnaround in their Premier League campaign. Yet, uncertainty remains over legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo's role in Erik ten Hag's team, especially after the 37-year-old's lacklustre display in the Europa League opener.
After starting the 2022-23 Premier League campaign with back-to-back humiliating defeats against Brighton and Brentford, Manchester United have scripted a stellar turnaround in their form. Manager Erik ten Hag has been credited for the improvement in play because his personnel changes and tactical adjustments helped the Red Devils defeat arch-rivals Liverpool and table-toppers Arsenal. However, legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo's role and the amount of game time he will get in future games remains one of the most discussed topics among supporters.
Marcus Rashford has significantly benefited from Ten Hag's fresh approach. The Englishman has been used as the attack's focal point, earning the manager's trust by scoring three goals and dishing out two assists. At the same time, Ronaldo has only made one league start thus far and is yet to open his goal-scoring account this season. The Portuguese talisman's display in Manchester United's loss to Real Sociedad in their Europa League opener showcased that age might be catching up with the 37-year-old.
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Reports have now pointed out that Manchester United stars believe Ronaldo is still angling for a move – and has his eye on a January exit. The Portuguese striker's desire to join a Champions League team during the summer transfer window was well known. But despite the efforts of his agent Jorge Mendes, no team expressed interest. And now, most of his teammates feel that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is tactically not ready to lead the line for the Red Devils, with the players preferring Rashford in that position.
"The manager put a lot of work into giving the squad detailed information about what he wanted them to do and how he wanted them to play. Ronaldo is not up to speed with that and is relying on instinct when he plays. But that doesn't work in Ten Hag's system," The Sun reported quoting sources close to the club. The fact that Ten Hag views him as an impact replacement rather than a starter was one of the report's most damaging conclusions.
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"Ronaldo is likely to find himself on the bench again going forward. And he is going to have to get used to scoring a lot less goals because he is only being introduced towards the end of games when Ten Hag has already made changes which make United less attacking. He needs to realise it's only going to work if he tunes into ten Hag's plans," the report added.
However, despite these reports, Ronaldo continues to focus on his fitness levels and continues to sweat it out in the training sessions at Carrington Ground. The Portuguese talisman took to Instagram to share his Monday vibe and wrote, "Starting the week with a good feeling!😉💪🏽" Fans of the legendary striker would be pleased to see their favourite star unfazed by the pressure of featuring in Manchester United's starting XI for the upcoming clashes.
Meanwhile, reports have also pointed out that Ten Hag is taking his players through training drills focusing on improving their weaker feet. The Mail claims that upon his arrival from Ajax this summer, the Dutchman was disappointed to find a shortage of naturally left-footed players within the Manchester United squad. With the entrance of Lisandro Martinez, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia, he handled it. However, he is said to be still unhappy with the over-reliance of many players on their strongest foot and has reportedly carried out specific drills designed to increase players' weaker foot after the main sessions have been completed.