Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the biggest players at Manchester United despite his scarce presence in the team’s starting eleven this season....CONTINUE READING
However, there could be a logical explanation for the Portuguese failure to cement his place in Ten Hag’s first eleven.
This season has no doubt been a new chapter for Manchester United following their disastrous campaign last season.
The Red Devils hierarchy have not only appointed a new manager but they’ve had one of their biggest summer spending sprees, signing the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen (free), Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Dubravka (loan), and Antony.
Last season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored an impressive 24 goals and assisted 3 times in 39 games. And those returns were down to the fact that he started regularly under Solskjaer, Carrick, and Rangnick. However, the player has been a shadow of himself this campaign with zero goals and assists in all competitions.
Recall that earlier this season, Ten Hag highlighted the need for the players to be available for pre-season. This is important as they needed to get accustomed to the new style of play, something different from what they had been doing.
However, during the preseason period, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t available due to family reasons, and there were rumors linking him with a move away from the club.
Eventually, Ronaldo returned when the season was about to start and despite starting against Brentford, Ronaldo was benched for the next four games in a row.
And this is because he has not gotten used to Ten Hag’s style since Martial and Rashford were the only forwards available during the preseason.
This reason can also be backed by Casemiro’s subsequent cameos from the bench and Antony’s immediate involvement after signing.
Antony is used to Ten Hag’s style, so he simply blended in but Ronaldo and Casemiro need time to get used to his style.
