As Cristiano Ronaldo moves closer to a sensational return, let’s see what Manchester United can expect from the legend.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo’s toughest critics had to acknowledge his talent when he left England in 2009. This was no ordinary player. He could transform any team into a contender, as proven time and time again during a spellbinding six-year spell at Old Trafford.
12 years have passed since CR7’s departure. In that time, he has established himself as one of the greatest of all time. A mesmerizing 551 goals in 572 appearances have come his way at Real Madrid and Juventus. Not to mention a further four Champions League and Ballon d’Or titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s #mufc contract has been SIGNED and medical COMPLETE in Portugal. Next step is visa application process before he will fly to Manchester and be officially unveiled. pic.twitter.com/nPnJyxBmH5
— UnitedReds (@UnitedRedscom) August 30, 2021
His return has left United supporters thrilled. They’ve chanted his name constantly, took out their CR7 jerseys and even got their own cardboard cutouts of the star. It may be 12 long years since he last played for the club, but Ronaldo has always been a source of pride. Now their long-held wish of seeing him back in the famous red jersey is on the brink of coming true.
So what can United expect from Ronaldo this time around? What kind of player has Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got all these years later? What impact will he have on the squad? Let’s check it out.
Goal record proves value
It’s true that Ronaldo is a very different player from the one who left United in 2009. At 36 years of age, he has had to adapt to his game to stay on top. Those neat little tricks, pacey dribbles and skills from the old days are gone.
Instead, Ronaldo has become a pure goal machine. He has evolved into more of an inside forward nowadays, who focuses on exploiting space inside the box to great effect. In Serie A last season, for example, most of his 29 goals came within the six-yard box.
Ronaldo’s goal scoring spots in Serie A 2020/21
It enabled him to surpass the 50-goal mark at Real Madrid regularly, although his output tailed off a little at Juventus. To be fair, though, the Turin-based outfit wasn’t really suited for him. But he still scored 101 goals in only 134 games, leaving him with an average of almost 34 goals a season.
These stats should help him add a little more firepower to the Manchester United attack. True, Solskjaer’s side had the second-best goal record in last season’s Premier League on 73 goals. But with forwards like Anthony Martial seemingly going backward, Ronaldo’s scoring prowess would be a plus.
Ronaldo in Serie A 2020/21
G90 – Goals per 90 minutes.
XG90 – Expected Goals per 90 minutes.
Sh90 – Shots per 90 minutes.
A90 – Assists per 90 minutes.
KP90 – Key passes that lead to a shot.
xGChain – Total xG of every possession the player is involved in per 90 minutes.
xGBuildup90 – Total xG of every possession the player is involved without key passes or shots per 90 minutes.
Elite mentality can help young players
Ronaldo has been and done it all. That famous elite mentality has never died out and is something Rio Ferdinand thinks will benefit Solskjaer’s young forwards.
“The attention on the club, the attention on the other players – you can’t put into words what it’s going to do for the dressing room and the fan base,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“He’ll get you 25-30 goals this season. That’s what he does – he outscored Lukaku last year in Serie A – but what he can do for Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho alone is worth bringing.
“He will show them what an A-lister, genuine superstar, and absolute obsessive professional life and breathes on a daily basis.”
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