"They played their best football against Chelsea without him" - Agbonlahor says 3 Man Utd stars are 'scared to have a shot' because of Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure as Manchester United could only manage a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United in their last Premier League encounter. In an underwhelming performance, the Red Devils barely troubled the Newcastle backline.
There is no shortage of attacking talent at Manchester United. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho among others, the 20-time Premier League champions definitely have enough firepower in their squad. But Rangnick has yet to get them firing as an attacking unit.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor was critical of Ronaldo's attitude and the impact he has on the other attacking players:
“His attitude was off. If I’m Rashford, Greenwood and Sancho I’m scared to have a shot. Every time they have a shot he’s got his arms up to say ‘Why haven’t you passed to me?
“The harmony is not right in that changing room. The form of Rashford and Greenwood has dropped since Ronaldo has been there. They can’t express themselves it’s like they think ‘I have to pass to Ronaldo, I have to create a chance for Ronaldo’.
“Before Ronaldo came, Greenwood was taking players on and shots on and he’s not doing that anymore and getting dragged at half-time. If I was Rashford, Greenwood or Sancho I’d be saying to myself ‘Oh, why did we have to bring him here?’
Complimentary Players.
- Sancho who's a creator finds Cavani who displays excellent movement. Their games require each other - they link well.
- Rashford, direct, eye for goal, doesn't necessarily look to create for team mates. Thus disjointed attacks. Him and CR7 ❌
#MUFC https://t.co/etjGsGRibc
While Agbonlahor did praise Ronaldo for his career, he went as far as to say that Man Utd played their best football this season without him on the pitch:
“He’s an amazing player who has had an amazing career but he’s not the same player he was.
“Man United played their best football of the season against Chelsea with Ronaldo on the bench.
Manchester United are back in action in the Premier League against Burnley this week. It will be interesting to see how Rangnick's attack lines up for this crucial encounter.
Cristiano Ronaldo is Man Utd's top goalscorer this season
Despite all the recent criticism, Cristiano Ronaldo is still the highest goalscorer for Manchester United this season. The 5-time Ballon d'Or winner has already scored 13 goals this season with some extremely crucial goals in both the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.
🔴 OFFICIEL ! Cristiano Ronaldo est élu Meilleur buteur de l'Histoire aux #GlobeSoccerAwards ! 🇵🇹 https://t.co/h7rNcEHzbm
Ronaldo might be 36, but he has arguably been Man Utd's best player of the season along with David De Gea. The Portuguese superstar's ability to press and his defensive contributions have been questioned, however, and Rangnick will need to sort it out sooner rather than later.