Ronaldo

comment by MUFCdan (U1463)
posted 24 seconds ago
comment by dunc - johnny lawrence is my sensei (U11713)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Sat Nav (U18243)
posted 8 minutes ago
I suspect that it will purely be down to Ronaldo if he wants to stay or not. I agree with you that I would happily keep Ronaldo in the team.

There is something really rotten at our club which is a product of the past few years. It is of no surprise to me that our two best performers have been De Gea and Ronaldo, both players from SAF days and that the others have been seriously underperforming.
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I'd say Fred has actually been our best outfield player.

While Ronaldo has scored 17 goals and hit a bit of a purple patch, he has scored in only 11 games this season and went through a spell of 2 goals in 10 pl games, and when he wasnt scoring in that period he wasnt really offering anything else
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I’d say it’s probably a good sign that he’s playing his best football end of the season.

Its since he’s only had to play 1 game a week due to no cup competitions and let’s not forget due to Cavani being a disgrace he’s pretty much had to play every game as a 37 year old over the busy Christmas period too.

Also a 37 year old who’s played the last 3 in Italy probably needed time to get used to playing back in the prem.
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just to be clear i would be happy for Ronnie to stay next season... just saying i dont think he has been our best player

comment by dunc - johnny lawrence is my sensei (U11713)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Sat Nav (U18243)
posted 8 minutes ago
I suspect that it will purely be down to Ronaldo if he wants to stay or not. I agree with you that I would happily keep Ronaldo in the team.

There is something really rotten at our club which is a product of the past few years. It is of no surprise to me that our two best performers have been De Gea and Ronaldo, both players from SAF days and that the others have been seriously underperforming.
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I'd say Fred has actually been our best outfield player.

While Ronaldo has scored 17 goals and hit a bit of a purple patch, he has scored in only 11 games this season and went through a spell of 2 goals in 10 pl games, and when he wasnt scoring in that period he wasnt really offering anything else
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Yes many people quote this but let’s not forget the form of the team. I don’t think it would be fair to have expected him to score more prolifically than he has, given our horrendous lack of play, possession/control and overall output.

It’s very fair to remember our huge reduction in attacking options which has led us to being more reliant on Ronaldo than we should have been.

Also makes me wonder wtf we would be if we didn’t have him, given the departures/absences/drop off in form from the others.

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That's the great, unknowable counterfactual. My original opinion was that bringing in Ronaldo was contrary to the strategy (reliance on pace and youth) that Solskjaer and the backroom team were pursuing. I thought there was a real danger that it could really undermine our plans, rendered the Sancho transfer kind of incoherent, and would exacerbate existing problems/tensions such as how to cram both Pogba & Bruno in the team, and are weakness at pressing. After a disastrous season in which all the players named above were much worse than before, of course the temptation is to conclude I was right all along, and that the team would have built on the progress made in 2020-21 with the added quality of Varane and Sancho.

Maybe it would have done, but I think I need to be honest enough to acknowledge the alternative scenario. In retrospect, we could have been in deep trouble without Ronaldo's goals. Of course we didn't know in September that Cavani would be almost permanently injured and what would happen with Greenwood. It's possible that Rashford would have had a better season without Ronaldo in the side but I think it looks more likely there's a deeper problem to solve there. I do suspect that Bruno and Sancho would be better off with a more mobile, agile, 'modern' striker to play off - but then we wouldn't have that player if Ronaldo hadn't signed.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 12 minutes ago
It’s very fair to remember our huge reduction in attacking options which has led us to being more reliant on Ronaldo than we should have been.

Also makes me wonder wtf we would be if we didn’t have him, given the departures/absences/drop off in form from the others.

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That's the great, unknowable counterfactual. My original opinion was that bringing in Ronaldo was contrary to the strategy (reliance on pace and youth) that Solskjaer and the backroom team were pursuing. I thought there was a real danger that it could really undermine our plans, rendered the Sancho transfer kind of incoherent, and would exacerbate existing problems/tensions such as how to cram both Pogba & Bruno in the team, and are weakness at pressing. After a disastrous season in which all the players named above were much worse than before, of course the temptation is to conclude I was right all along, and that the team would have built on the progress made in 2020-21 with the added quality of Varane and Sancho.

Maybe it would have done, but I think I need to be honest enough to acknowledge the alternative scenario. In retrospect, we could have been in deep trouble without Ronaldo's goals. Of course we didn't know in September that Cavani would be almost permanently injured and what would happen with Greenwood. It's possible that Rashford would have had a better season without Ronaldo in the side but I think it looks more likely there's a deeper problem to solve there. I do suspect that Bruno and Sancho would be better off with a more mobile, agile, 'modern' striker to play off - but then we wouldn't have that player if Ronaldo hadn't signed.
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Yeah I remember an objection to signing the likes of Sancho was the possible detriment to Greenwood’s development and similar with signing Ronaldo.

I think we all would have chosen a too long-term option over Ronaldo but they were seemingly unavailable.

Counterfactuals are interesting to ponder but let’s just be happy that, given our extraordinary forward scenarios, he was here to deliver what he has managed to in what is a team that is going to achieve our lowest premier league points ever I heard? (Haven’t bothered checking that)

*top

I think he’ll stay. Anyone who can afford his wages won’t be interested imo.

He may take a payout to move to a CL team

comment by De Gea's Legs (U14210)
posted 35 minutes ago
He may take a payout to move to a CL team
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Exactly. I don’t know why some of our posters don’t ever understand this.

I hope he stays, he has had some terrible service this year and still bagged 23 goals plus he is the only bit of star quality we have got.

Additionally at a time we need to bring in new players he is our one link with our past who understands truly what it is to wear the shirt knowing what is expected of a real Manchester United player and will command respect from any new recruit.

CR7 could be critical in helping turn us around on and off the pitch but only obviously if he wants to stay and ETH can manage such a big character, be a bit of a wimp start for me if doesn't think he can.

just saying i dont think he has been our best player
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Who has in your eyes?