Cristiano Ronaldo is back... sort of
Robin Bairner
- 16 Sept 2022 10:27 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo ended his lengthy goal drought on Thursday when he netted from the penalty spot in a 2-0 Europa League win against Sheriff.
It was Ronaldo’s first goal of the season, and it was also his first career goal in the Europa League.
The importance of the strike, meanwhile, has not been downplayed by manager Erik ten Hag, who admitted that it was vital for the striker to get off and running after a difficult summer in which he fought to leave the club.
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"Ronaldo needed that goal," Ten Hag said. "He’d come close to scoring so many times this season, but he wanted that so much.
"We are happy for him, and the team wanted to bring him a goal. You know that Cristiano will score a penalty."
Ronaldo has more to prove
Certainly, this is a step in the right direction for Ronaldo, but the match in Moldova offered him the perfect opportunity to win his way into Ten Hag’s thoughts on a more permanent basis after his absence from pre-season forced him to the bench. His overall display was underwhelming as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial missed out due to injury.
Indeed, that he needed a penalty to break his duck for the season hardly restores confidence that Ronaldo is truly back, particularly when an array of flicks went awry, and he struggled to link with those around him.
There was not enough from the forward to suggest that he will be preferred to Rashford when the England man recovers from a minor muscle injury as he will surely do for 2 October’s Manchester derby
It is clear that Ronaldo is operating well below his optimum level. Missing pre-season will have a role in this, while the lack of game time he has been given since has no doubt hampered his chances of coming back to his best, particularly given Ten Hag's change of system and mentality.
Happy to score and help the team win! 3 important points!
Well done lads 👏🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/Gb7mTJcqqd— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 15, 2022
Indeed, the postponement of the weekend’s Leeds fixture counts against the Portuguese. It is a Premier League game he would surely have started, and would have been a precious chance to build some momentum in Ten hag’s thinking ahead of the Man City fixture.
Just how much the Dutchman will take from Ronaldo’s international commitments with Portugal, which will see him tackle Czech Republic and Spain in the Nations League, is unclear.
What is evident, though, is that Ronaldo is entering a pivotal moment during his second spell at Man Utd. He has a goal, he is on the right track, but he is not back yet.
