Cristiano Ronaldo lack of gametime for Manchester United is a concern for the Portugal National team.
The legendary goalscorer has made just one Premier League start this season, with Erik ten Hag opting to use him in the Europa League instead.
He was an unused substitute for the Red Devil’s 6-3 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
That caused Roy Keane to brandish the manager’s treatment of Ronaldo as showing “nothing but disrespect.”
But the Portuguese’s problems could be far more troubling than that ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
While Fernando Santos has kept faith with Ronaldo, starting him at every opportunity, Ronaldo’s lack of sharpness has been plain for all to see.
And the Daily Mail speculates that the United star will cause headaches not his manager at international level.
With Ronaldo seemingly only trusted for Europa league ties under Ten Hag, he is unlikely to get much sharper.
That would leave Santos with a tough decision to make in Qatar.
It is highly unlikely that Ronaldo would be dropped from the squad altogether, but lacking in match fitness as he is, it is difficult to imagine the 37-year-old being anywhere near his best.
Santos does not have a plethora of central strikers to choose from, although in-form Goncalo Ramos has every right to be aggrieved to have missed out on any minutes for last month’s squad.
Should Portugal be forced to lean on a Ronaldo devoid of sharpness, form, and even confidence, it could exacerbate the superstar’s problems even further.
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