"He didn’t much like the idea of doing it regularly" - Sarri makes honest admission on Cristiano Ronaldo's preferred position at Juventus
Former Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has revealed that Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo did not want to play as a striker during his time at the club under the Italian.
Ronaldo, 37, left Juventus in September last year, joining Manchester United for £12.7 million.
He has endured a disappointing campaign for the Red Devils as their lead striker with just one goal in his last ten matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo not with the #mufc squad tonight. Neither was Edinson Cavani, unsurprisingly. The usual 21 players (three goalkeepers) have assembled.
Lazio manager Sarri has brought to light the issue that the forward had with being the main striker at Juventus, having spent the majority of his time as a free-roaming winger at La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Sarri told Sky Italia (via Football Italia):
“Cristiano scored more Serie A goals in his season with me than any other.”
“He was prepared to play centre-forward in a few games when we had an emergency situation, but he didn’t much like the idea of doing it regularly."
“In those situations, you end up challenging the certainties that the player has. Ronaldo scored 35-40 goals per season by starting from that wider position, so for him it was an almost absurd request. That is understandable for the way he plays.”
SARRI:
“Cristiano Ronaldo scored more Serie A goals in his season with me than any other, He was prepared to play centre-forward in a few games when we had an emergency situation, but he didn’t much like the idea of doing it regularly."
[Football Italia] https://t.co/KCDlWcT8uM
The issues at Old Trafford this season for Ronaldo have led to speculation he could leave the club in the summer.
He is speculated to have failed to make the Red Devils' matchday squad for their huge game against neighbors Manchester City on Sunday.
Does Cristiano Ronaldo's future lie away from Manchester United?
Cristiano Ronaldo's future and morale at the club will be two of the first issues that the next permanent Manchester United manager will need to tackle.
He is not having the same impact in the striker's role that he had had at Juventus and Real Madrid prior to his move to Old Trafford.
As a predominantly wide player, he managed 450 goals in 438 matches for Los Blancos and 101 goals in 134 games for Juve.
Despite the bright start to his return to Manchester United, where he managed nine goals in thirteen appearances under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his form has majorly dwindled.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 34 scored 45 goals in 50 matches. 🐐 https://t.co/dJYRUpuRjA
This is hugely down to the way in which interim manager Ralf Rangnick sets up his side. There is an emphasis on pressing, with every player needing to play a role in the setup.
The 37-year-old does not possess the running attributes associated with a Rangnick team at this stage of his career.
The two favorites for the permanent role, Ajax's Erik Ten Hag and PSG's Mauricio Pochettino, share a similar philosophy to that of the German manager.
So it will be an interesting summer ahead with Ronaldo's future in the spotlight.