Pranav Kannan
Paul Merson says Manchester United cannot win anything with Cristiano Ronaldo
Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph as quoted by Manchester Evening News, Paul Merson has made a bold claim that Manchester United will not win anything this season as long as Cristiano Ronaldo is in the team.
A lot of people have had very polarizing views about the Portuguese superstar’s influence on the Red Devils. Whilst some feel that he still has what it takes to influence games for Man United, there is also an argument that his presence may be detrimental.
The 37-year-old has been subject of constant speculation throughout the summer with his future at Old Trafford far from certain. For a very long time, it seemed like Ronaldo would surely leave but a move never materialised.
Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season and have to play in the Europa League this time around. This meant that for a player who is known as ‘Mr. Champions League’, the former Juventus man didn’t want to stick around.
Eventually, Ronaldo was forced to stay at Man United and he is playing in the Europa League now. However, his performances for the Red Devils have been far from ideal and it is safe to say that age finally seems to be catching up.
After failing to net even a single goal for so long, the former Real Madrid superstar finally got off the mark this season scoring a penalty in the Europa League clash against Sheriff. It remains to be seen if it is the beginning of an upturn in fortune.
Speaking about the player’s influence on the team, Merson was rather scathing in his assessment about the 37-year-old.
“Cristiano Ronaldo was a 100 times better player than me and I’ve got to say Man United are not going to win anything with him in the team.”
Erik ten Hag has shown until now that his team is not dependent on the Portuguese superstar and has used the 37-year-old off the bench for the majority of the matches that the Red Devils have played this campaign.
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The fact that the Red Devils’ star man failed to have a pre-season with the club also did not play in his favour. This meant that Ronaldo took much more time to get to speed with his teammates and was not at the same level.
Whether or not Ronaldo is detrimental to Man United’s progress is anyone’s prerogative. It remains to be seen how this season pans out for the decorated player though.
