Cristiano Ronaldo has had a terrible start to the new season at Manchester United.
The Portuguese seems to have lost his clinical edge in front of the goal and is struggling to find the back of the net.
Erik ten Hag has not been shy to bench Ronaldo.
The Dutchman’s possession-heavy system demands a striker to link up play and help the overall tactical plan.
Ronaldo’s age does not allow him to press and work with the same intensity as his teammates.
Rob Blanchette shared a shocking stat on Twitter.
Still being ‘told’ “#CR7𓃵 does press.” So here’s the official numbers: the average Pressures in the top 5 leagues is 15.83.
Ronaldo is in the worst percentile in Europe.
Ronaldo 7.28
Rashford 14.92
Martial 13.54
Bruno 15.70This is why Ten Hag doesn’t want to play him. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Mf4TFGGJsq
— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) October 23, 2022
Across Europe’s top five leagues, Ronaldo ranks the worst for average pressures.
Compared to the average of 15.83, the United striker has 7.28.
Ten Hag’s tactics heavily depend on defending from the front and pressing as a team.
As a result, his first-team spot has been occupied by Marcus Rashford.
The Englishman guarantees a superb work rate throughout the game and can also be a dangerous weapon on the counter-attack.
A large section of the fanbase heavily criticised Ronaldo’s antics against Tottenham.
It is to be seen how Ten Hag decides to use him in the remaining games until the World Cup.
In January, United must make an important decision about whether to keep Ronaldo or let him go.
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