Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest forwards of all time, who has broken every single record there ever was in football. At 37, the Portuguese forward doesn’t have a lot of time left in the world of football, or so it would seem.
Ronaldo left Juventus to return to his boyhood club, Manchester United, this summer, in a move that shocked and delighted many around the world. Given his caliber, he has been great for United this season, in the league, and beyond it. However, all’s not well in the dressing room.
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Ralf Rangnick reveals why he benched Ronaldo against Burnley
United sacked their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the middle of the season after a horrible start to the league campaign. They appointed Ralf Rangnick as their manager, and the German manager’s system doesn’t really have a place for Ronaldo.
Rangnick has made an exception for Ronaldo though, and the forward has been good in patches. Rangnick benched Ronaldo for the game against Burnley, where United drew 1-1. It caused some controversy among fans, even though the Portuguese came on for the last 20 minutes.
The German manager explained why he dropped Ronaldo for the clash in an interview with the Daily Mail ahead of the match.
“Today it will require a lot of sprinting and chasing a lot of balls. A lot of fighting for second balls and I think this profile fits perfectly for Edison. That’s why I decided to start him today. We will also need Cristiano to start in the next couple of games,” Rangnick said.
Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has revealed why he decided to drop Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for their 1-1 draw with Burnley on Tuesday night. 😬
Here's what he said! ➡ https://t.co/LZAsNRa2pj pic.twitter.com/W8uZO7fRSO
— Kick Off (@KickOffMagazine) February 9, 2022
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Cristiano Ronaldo and his numbers for Manchester United this season
The Portuguese forward has played 19 games in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and assisting three. That return would be considered good for any player who is not named Ronaldo, considering his high standards.
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However, he has been himself in the UCL, scoring six goals in five games and carrying United to the knockout stages of the competition. It’ll be interesting to see if they can make a deep run in the competition.
Read More: Fan Tries to Eat and Train Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Nearly Breaks Down: “Just Vomited in My Mouth”