Cristiano Ronaldo believes the Manchester United squad is still adapting to new ideas and will start winning things sooner rather than later.
The reactions over Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United may have been rather mixed. Some believe he could unsettle the squad and the manager’s ideas for the team, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has built in the last two years, while others think the Portuguese powerhouse would bring glory days back to Old Trafford.
As for Manchester United, things have not gone the way they must have planned. Struggling to get to grips with the Premier League title race, as exemplified during their loss to Leicester City, the players have relied heavily upon Ronaldo’s experience to get them out of problem situations in the Champions League so far.
The Portuguese international scored late winners against Atalanta and Villarreal in the continental competition to bail Manchester United out of difficult situations. Ronaldo’s goalscoring record in the Premier League has also propelled the side to important points this season.
The real test would be the next few fixtures starting from Sunday when Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford. Ronaldo will again be looked up during such a high-profile clash and certainly scrutinised if the Red Devils are to lose to their big rivals.
?️ "I am here to win trophies. I am not here for a holiday"
Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to help #MUFC bring home some silverware this season
? Watch full exclusive interview ahead of Man Utd v Liverpool on Super Sunday pic.twitter.com/xS9hwqHt42
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 23, 2021
Some believe the next 4 or 5 Premier League games could define the club’s season. Ronaldo, however, remained bullish about the Red Devils’ chances this season, suggesting the squad is still adapting to new ideas. Manchester United’s official website posted his many statements from a recent interview with Sky Sports.
Ronaldo said, “We are in a moment in my opinion that Manchester (United) do a few changes; they buy me, they buy (Raphael) Varane and (Jadon) Sancho. The adaptation will take time, even the system of the game that we play, but I think step by step we have to put it in our mind that everything is possible.”
“I don’t speak only about my individual stuff; I put the collective in the first place. To win things as a collective, it’s easier to win individual stuff. I still think it’s possible. Everyone should know their role. I know my role in the team, in the club, is to score goals and help the team with my experience and know-how to understand the game.”
“If everyone is thinking like that, sacrifice for the team, I think we will be a better team. We have fantastic supporters behind us, the fantastic stadium, fantastic team, so we have to carry on like that.”
The pressure is certainly mounting on Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and if things continue to go from bad to worse, the adaptation time might not be afforded to the manager, as they get set to enter the crunch period of the season.
