Michael Carrick denies huge Manchester United claim

One of the biggest surprises in the game between Manchester United and Chelsea came even before a ball was kicked as Michael Carrick decided to drop Cristiano Ronaldo while soaring up the numbers in the middle of the park. And to be honest, it did end up working on this occasion as the Red Devils came out of Stamford Bridge with a 1-1 draw, which is a very positive result considering the circumstances.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored consistently for Manchester United ever since returning but questions have been asked about his overall impact on the team.

Also, the Portuguese star is not a heavy presser of the ball and Manchester United’s goal came from their quick pressing after Jorginho failed to control the ball near the half-way line.

In fact, many believe that Ronaldo would struggle to get into the team if Ralf Rangnick was appointed as the club’s interim manager, which is looking likely at this point of time. There were even some suggestions that it was the German who had had an influence on the Portuguese legend being dropped today but Carrick denied it. As reported by The Guardian, he said:

"“That’s not the case, no.“We came here with a plan. I kind of knew how Chelsea would play and we wanted to stop the passes through to Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. There were a few changes to freshen it up and it’s what we decided to go with today. We almost pulled it off.”"

What does the future hold for Ronaldo at Manchester United?

Things could certainly get interesting if Rangnick is appointed as Manchester United’s interim manager till the end of the season. The German is renowned for heavy intensity, quick pressing style of football, having shaped Gegenpressing.

That is not a system that a player like Ronaldo fits into, especially at this stage of his career. He is not a big presser of the ball and is 36 years of age.

Thus, it will be interesting to see how Rangnick will handle the situation if he does end up getting the Manchester United job. It is hard to see Ronaldo being completely dropped out of the first-team picture. Thus, the German will most probably need to find a way to get the best out of the Portuguese superstar.