Battle of wills with Ronaldo is jeopardising Ten Hag revolution

CRISTIANO RONALDO remains a dangerous operator even at 37 but as things stand he is more of a danger to Manchester United than their opponents.

- Neil Squires

Hope springs eternal as Manchester United begin their Premier League campaign against Brighton this afternoon. How the season unfolds is a guessing game. But the Old Trafford tea leaves are shaping themselves into an image of a skull and crossbones.

If last season was bad the Ronaldo situation threatens to make things even worse. The three-way power struggle between a powerful player who wants to leave, a club hierarchy who demands he stays and a new manager who intends stamping his authority on an underperforming squad is toxic.

It is a Bermuda Triangle into which United’s hopes of a bounceback could easily disappear without trace.

It was Ronaldo’s goals – 24 of them – that stopped the team going into complete freefall last term. He showed then, in adversity, that he is still a high-class player. As a finisher, with feet or head, he has few peers.

Manager Erik ten Hag has spoken publicly of his belief that Ronaldo can, despite his ambivalence when it comes to closing down opponents, fit into his methodology.

But the last thing any new manager needs is a sulking star player. When it is a superstar with Ronaldo’s footprint, the problem is magnified.