"He is beginning to look like just another player" - Steve Nicol claims it is time for Manchester United to drop Cristiano Ronaldo
Steve Nicol doubts whether Ralf Rangnick will drop Cristiano Ronaldo from the Manchester United lineup despite the Portuguese's poor form.
Ronaldo led the attack for the Red Devils against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash on Wednesday. The 37-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Rangnick's side came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in Spain.
The Portugal international is known for his impressive record against Diego Simeone's side. The 37-year-old has scored 25 goals from 35 matches against Atletico Madrid across all competitions before this week's draw. However, he struggled to make an impact at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday, failing to register a single shot on target.
Tough night for Ronaldo 😤 https://t.co/v3mfF3Xn1P
Nicol has now insisted that Ronaldo is starting to look like just another player. The former Premier League star suggested that the Red Devils should drop the veteran and start Marcus Rashford up front instead. He said on ESPN FC:
"It is actually getting to that time [when Cristiano Ronaldo should be dropped] because I'm not so sure I can remember when I looked at Ronaldo and thought, 'This is the guy that has won everything available in his whole career.'
"He is beginning to look like just another player now. So, I think it is close to that time, to be honest. Does Rangnick have the stomach to do it? I'm not so sure. I would certainly make a change, I would put Rashford through the middle," he added.
Ronaldo boasted a pass accuracy of 88 per cent on Wednesday night. However, the former Real Madrid superstar did not provide a single key pass to his team-mates.
He failed to win a single aerial duel against Atletico Madrid either. Meanwhile, Rashford and goalscorer Anthony Elanga won six of them between them.
Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will look to bounce back in return leg
Manchester United playing out a 1-1 draw against the La Liga champions this week means they have everything to play for in the second leg of the tie. The two sides are scheduled to lock horns with each other at Old Trafford on March 15.
Cristiano Ronaldo will look to make up for his underwhelming performance on Wednesday when the two sides meet again in the second leg.
35 games
25 goals
16 wins
2 Champions League final wins
4 hat-tricks
Cristiano Ronaldo LOVES playing Atletico Madrid 😈
👕 35 games
⚽️ 25 goals
🙌 16 wins
🏆 2 Champions League final wins
🔥 4 hat-tricks https://t.co/uJVRCLDHnb
It is worth noting that Ronaldo has scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 29 matches across all competitions for Manchester United so far this term. However, most of those strikes came early in the season, and the Portuguese superstar has scored just thrice in Rangnick's 16 games as the Red Devils' interim coach so far.