Cristiano Ronaldo was on the scoresheet once again on Thursday evening as his goal against Chelsea secured a point for Ralf Rangnick’s side, who are now completely out of the race to finish in the top four.
Ronaldo’s first season back at the club hasn’t gone as planned but if it wasn’t for the Portugal international, no European football at all would most likely have been the case.
The 37-year-old carried United through the Champions League group stages, scoring in every game he played in. The sublime strike against Chelsea was his 17th in the league this season, bettered only by Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah.
Former United captain Roy Keane, who briefly played with Ronaldo after his move from Sporting in 2003, has now suggested that Ronaldo would score 50 goals if he played for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
"Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo in that Chelsea team, he'd score 50 goals!" 👀 pic.twitter.com/FFPreMA6oJ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 29, 2022
Read more: Ronaldo to the rescue again: player ratings from Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea
“It’s the hardest part of the game,” Keane told Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Ronaldo’s goalscoring. “I know people are quick to criticise what he doesn’t do in terms of his pressing but he was never great at that anyway.
“He’s the greatest at the hardest part of the game, putting the ball in the back of the new. Was that his only chance tonight, really? You see the chances that Chelsea were creating.
“Imagine if he was in the Chelsea team, he’d probably get 50 goals. He’s in a poor Manchester United team who aren’t creating many chances for him and he’s producing.”
SN’s verdict…
Ronaldo certainly isn’t without blame for how this season’s panned out but United definitely have the Portuguese superstar to thank for keeping the campaign alive for as long as it did.
He’s the greatest footballer of all time and despite closing in on his 40th birthday, he remains one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe.
Erik ten Hag is set to take over at the club this summer and huge surgery is needed to fix United’s broken squad but perhaps a new first-choice striker isn’t on the agenda, with Ronaldo ending this season in terrific form.
