Cristiano Ronaldo has madeManchester United worse that it was last season.- That's according to the former Liverpool defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher.
Cristiano Ronaldo has made Manchester United worse than it was last season.
That's according to the former Liverpool defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher, who claims the Portuguese forward has added to the club's problems of having too many individual stars.
Ronaldo returned to United three matches into the season and enjoyed a brilliant start to his second spell at Old Trafford, scoring three times in back-to-back wins over Newcastle United and West Ham.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side has since failed to win any of its last three top flight games, losing two, while Ronaldo has yet to find the net again, leaving the club sixth in the table with eight matches played.
"Manchester United remain a team of individuals rather than a team. Cristiano Ronaldo has added to that rather than fixed it," Carragher told the Daily Telegraph of United, which finished second in the Premier League last season.
"That's why, despite a brilliant squad, they are not yet at the level of the other three. Dropping five points in their last two home games highlighted lingering inconsistency."
United was backed to challenge for the title following the arrivals of Ronaldo, defender Raphael Varane, and electric winger Jadon Sancho in the summer.
But the side's mixed start to the season has seen pressure mount on Solskjaer. The Norwegian's side now face a daunting month of fixtures, taking on Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, and finally Chelsea in the league.
Liverpool are next up for the Red Devils on Sunday, and ahead of the clash, Carragher was asked to pick his combined XI from the two clubs.
-Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 18, 2021
In it, he included just two United players - Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes - and omitted Ronaldo.
"I'm a massive Greenwood fan, I think he's a superstar, I really do," Carragher said on Sky
"How can you not put Ronaldo in, in terms of what he's done, legendary figure? I'm talking about actually right now, today, I'd have to have Greenwood."