"It's a tough one…" – Man United are facing a Cristiano Ronaldo dilemma, says ex-Red Devil

Posted Tuesday, March 15, 2022 by Caughtoffside.com

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has explained the tricky situation his old club have with star forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal international fired in a superb hat-trick for the Red Devils at the weekend as they beat Tottenham 3-2 at Old Trafford, having had some extra time off to rest after missing last week's game at Manchester City.

Chadwick feels Ronaldo looked a bit sharper after his time off, but many fans will also feel that the 37-year-old proved that he is too important to ever be giving a rest to.

This debate will surely go on, but Chadwick offered his thoughts on the game and Ronaldo's performance in an excusive interview with CaughtOffside.

"It was a good game, both teams had their chances, that's for sure, but the difference between the two teams was obviously Cristiano Ronaldo," Chadwick said.

"It was a masterclass from him really, the first goal from a long range shot, then a tap-in, and then an incredible header to win the game. We've been waiting for Cristiano Ronaldo to do something special like that this season, he's not been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks especially.

"He missed last week's game at City and came back with a bang, and that just shows what he is, what he's all about – give him even half-chances and he'll punish you. He looked like he had a point to prove after not scoring much recently and came back with a match-winning performance.

"Without him I'm not sure United would even have got a point, let alone all three. It wasn't a brilliant team performance, but a good game, and the difference between the two teams was the great man.

"He looks like he's still in a similar shape to five or six years ago. He's not been as consistent this season, but then he's not been playing in a high-performing team week in, week out.

"He wants to be on the pitch every second because he wants to break all the records and keep scoring more and more goals. He did look a bit sharper, though, after that longer rest.

"Still, the position United are in, if he's fit it's hard to leave him out because there's not really anyone else in that squad who can offer the goal threat he does, or do what he did on Saturday in that position.

"It's a tough one, every time you see him play, you want to see him at his best, so it's down to the club to work out how to manage him. If you leave him out and the team don't get a result, it's certainly going to be difficult for them to get into the top four.

"Arsenal are now in an incredibly strong position and United really need to win all their games to have any chance of getting into that top four, so you'd imagine Ronaldo is going to be a massive part of that."