"Thank god they got rid of Cristiano Ronaldo" - Pundit makes sarcastic claim as Manchester United's poor goalscoring record comes to light
Journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft posted a sarcastic tweet involving Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester United continue to struggle to find the back of the net in the Premier League.
This comes after the Red Devils' 2-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham United on Saturday, December 23. Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus scored in the second half to hand Erik ten Hag's side their eighth defeat in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United have not only conceded quite a lot of goals but have also struggled to find the net themselves. They are currently on a three-match goalless run in the Premier League, which includes two defeats to Bournemouth and West Ham and a 0-0 draw against Liverpool.
Referring to this this poor run in front of goal, journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft made a cheeky comment on United's decision to offload Cristiano Ronaldo last season. He listed five relegation-threatened sides who have scored less goals than the Red Devils in the league.
Jan Aage Fjortoft tweeted the following:
"Least goals scored in the Premier League: Sheffield United 13, Burnley 16, Luton 17, Forest 17, Crystal Palace 18, Manchester United 18. Thank God they got rid of @Cristiano (Ronaldo)"
Cristiano Ronaldo returned for his second spell at Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 and instantly hit the ground running. He scored 24 goals in all competitions during the 2021-22 season where he was the club's leading goalscorer.
Ronaldo, however, did struggle for game time in his second season back in Manchester. New manager Erik ten Hag did not give him enough game time, which frustrated the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo then gave a controversial interview to TV presenter Piers Morgan where he criticized the club owners and manager Ten Hag himself. This prompted United to mutually terminate his contract a year ago, after which Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer.
The Red Devils decided to spend around £72 million for Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund in the summer of 2023 as a direct replacement for Ronaldo. The 20-year-old forward, however, has struggled so far.
Hojlund has scored five goals from 22 appearances this season, but all of his goals have come in the UEFA Champions League, a tournament United have been eliminated from. He has currently gone 14 games without a goal in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have scored just two goals all season for Manchester United so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United are having contrasting fortunes in front of goal
While Manchester United continue to struggle in front of goal, Ronaldo is enjoying a great season in Saudi Arabia. At the time of writing, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists from 22 games across all competitions.
This includes a tally of 17 goals and nine assists from 16 matches in the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo himself has therefore scored just one less goal in the league than the entire Manchester United squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the leading goalscorer in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League. He is one goal ahead of Al-Hilal star Aleksandar Mitrovic and two goals clear of third-placed Georges-Kevin N'Koudou.