Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster return in the summer was expected to transform Manchester United into Premier League contenders once again. And the start did seem to suggest that that was the case, as the Portuguese legend arrived at Old Trafford in tremendous form. Since then though, the spark has appeared to fade away and he is pretty much struggling for form at the moment.
At 37 years of age, this is no longer the Ronaldo that you could rely on to find the back of the net in almost every game. In fact, his Premier League numbers are especially telling.
According to stats from Transfermarkt, Ronaldo has scored 9 goals in 23 Premier League appearances this season for Manchester United. While not bad, that is not the kind of output that you would expect from one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the game.
And amidst his bad run of form, he has even been told to give retirement a consideration. As reported by the Mirror, Frank Leboeuf told ESPN:
"“Do you know what? I think there is a time where you have to think, ‘What do I do with my life and my career’.“And maybe it’s time for Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of his career to wonder and have a discussion with himself, and maybe some of his family, to know what he has to do for the rest of his career, if there is a future in his career.”"
He added:
"“I don’t want to watch Ronaldo and have pity, because he’s been on the top for so many years.“I don’t want him to be a normal player. He’s been an exceptional player for so long.“I’d prefer him to give up his career at the top instead of maybe trying and play for two or three more years and not being the player that he used to be.”"
Ronaldo’s form is a worry for Manchester United
It goes without saying that Ronaldo has not been at the top of his game for a long time now. In 2022, he has scored just one goal till now and we are already at the end of February.
On current form, he should be dropped to the bench. But unfortunately for Manchester United, they do not have another in-form goalscorer at the moment.
Edinson Cavani has struggled with both form and fitness this season. On the other hand, Marcus Rashford, who can also play up top, has had his own problems as well and has not been able to nail down his spot in the starting XI under Ralf Rangnick.
On top of that, it is difficult for any manager to drop Ronaldo, one of the best ever. Thus, Manchester United find themselves in a very sticky situation.