Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United or a publicity stunt or sporting expectation?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford has taken every Manchester United fan by surprise. Most were certainly pleasantly surprised by the news, but some are not so happy with his arrival. What to expect from this move?

To answer that, it’s important to go back to the time when Ronaldo left Real Madrid and headed to Juventus, who at the time were doing everything they could to win the Champions League.

However, even the Portuguese cannonballer, with his wealth of experience, did not help the Old Lady in this goal and, on the contrary, to this day many regret his involvement, as several players of the Turin side failed to live up to their full potential at Ronaldo’s expense.

Ronaldo? A guarantee of goals

If there’s one thing you can count on with Ronaldo, it’s goals! In his first season at Juventus, he scored 28 goals and added 11 assists. At that time, he still played 26 games out of 43 as a left winger.

The following season he scored 37 goals and assisted 7 more. Then he played 28 of 46 games at left wing.

The turning point, however, came last season, when Ronaldo became a pure top striker. He made only one appearance on the left wing, but his “new” position suited him, scoring 36 goals in 44 games.

This is great news for Manchester United fans, as perhaps not since Robin van Persie have they had a cannonballer who could score goals regularly. Even Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have failed in the long run.

Euphoria and motivation

Ronaldo is very well known to be a great motivator. We have seen this on several occasions, most notably in the final of the European Championship, which Portugal won.

Having one of the best goal scorers in the history of football on the pitch will certainly encourage the other teammates. In particular, Paul Pogba, from whose centres Ronaldo should benefit most, could improve.

A publicity stunt or sporting expectation?

Ronaldo certainly isn’t coming to Manchester United to sell off the jerseys of the often-criticised owners. Even at 36, he is still in great shape and his shooting stats are excellent.

His arrival certainly didn’t please Edinson Cavani, whose minutes on the pitch will be slow in coming, but overall it’s a great move by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his lieutenants that could put the Red Devils back on the English throne.

The only negative may be less room for Mason Greenwood and other talented players. But at the same time, it can also be an advantage, as learning from Cristiano, one of the best goalscorers of all time, must give you something for the future after all!

Source: Manchester United