Welcome back guys! Today we’re going to be discussing what Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United means for the club and why his transfer is only good news for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men!

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Tactically, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t redefine how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sets his Manchester United side up. I expect the 4-2-3-1 to continue and with a fully fit squad, Ronaldo will slot in up front. Simply put, Ronaldo is perfectly suited to Solskjaer’s Manchester United. Whilst his pressing numbers could be higher, Solskjaer hasn’t had a true pressing forward to build his team around. Because of this, Solskjaer has had success using a press that sees turnovers forced in the middle third by midfielders rather than the final third by forwards like you see with the German school of pressing. This less proactive style of pressing means that Ronaldo won’t break the structure and shouldn’t change how United play without the ball.

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But where he’ll really shine is when Manchester United have possession.
At 36, Cristiano Ronaldo has adapted his game from being a direct, dribbling winger in his youth to a pure goalscorer. Saying that, he still averaged nearly 3 dribbles per 90 (2.86) during his time in Serie A so don’t expect a complete poacher. But rather than constantly receiving in the wide areas, beating several players before cutting in and scoring, Ronaldo now largely operates in and around the penalty area. That being said, his second goal against Hungary at Euro 2020 showed his evolution and how he’s still capable of scoring fluid goals.

But what Ronaldo will really bring is an aerial threat. Ronaldo is almost the perfect striker for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wing play approach where the majority of United’s chances come from the wide areas. But with Cristiano Ronaldo back in red, United have a genuine target to aim crosses towards, especially crosses to the back post. His technique, height and leap combined with an ability to hang in the air make him almost undefendable from crossing situations. This will see United cross more often but with the option to cross early from deeper positions. This could see a slight tweak in approach, with Luke Shaw continuing to hold the width on the left but Bruno Fernandes to take up more positions in the inside right channel to provide whipped crosses from that flank.

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Ronaldo’s true worth could be off the field. It’s well documented that Cristiano Ronaldo is the hardest working footballer, if not sportsman. His hard work and dedication to becoming the very best at everything he does is incredible and it’s shaped him into one of the greatest players of all time. Despite winning 32 major honours as well as 5 Ballon D'Or awards, Ronaldo still wants to win more. He’s stated that he expects to win the Premier League in his first season back in the competition and his sheer determination will win matches for Manchester United. Ronaldo is the ultimate big game player who turns up when it matters most. As impressive as his goalscoring record is, with nearly 700 goals at club level, it’s more impressive when you consider that 31% of them have been match winners.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s homecoming isn’t a signing made out of romance, there’s genuine benefits to his return. Whilst he might not be a long term addition, his last two seasons have been his best in the past 5 in terms of most goals scored so there’s really no telling how much longer Ronaldo can play at the very top. The only thing for certain is that he’s not a luxury signing but an addition that will return Manchester United to the top.

But what do you guys think? Will Ronaldo improve Manchester United? Let me know in the comments below!

#Ronaldo #ManUtd

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