Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker feels Cristiano Ronaldo failed to claim his stake for a place in the Red Devils’ regular starting XI during a rare opportunity last week.
Cristiano Ronaldo has found playing time hard to come by under Erik ten Hag this season. He has clocked just 297 minutes of action across all competitions for Manchester United so far.
Ten Hag, who took charge of the Red Devils ahead of the season, has already shown that he will be taking no prisoners this term. The Portuguese icon is facing the effects of it as he has started just one Premier League game so far.
Ronaldo was handed a start in Manchester United’s UEFA Europa League opener against Real Sociedad to prove himself last week. However, he failed to impress and could not prevent the team from succumbing to a 1-0 loss.
Many, including Parker, expected the 37-year-old, who has significant experience against La Liga clubs, to impress against Sociedad. There was also hope that the forward’s desire to prove a point would get the best out of him.
However, Parker has now admitted that Ronaldo failed to do justice to himself when given the chance last week. The former Manchester United defender conceded that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has not done enough to warrant a start against FC Sheriff today (September 15). He told Bonus Code Bets:
“We can´t come out suddenly and say that he [Cristiano Ronaldo] does deserve to start the next game. I was hoping because of the fact that it was against a Spanish team that it would kind of help him that he would want to prove a point.”
“He wants to prove a point to the manager and he wants to get the fans really on his side by giving a really good performance. But, he never did that to be perfectly honest. Him as an individual didn’t do himself justice or put himself in contention to play the next game.”
Manchester United are scheduled to face Moldovan outfit Sheriff in the Europa League today. However, Ronaldo could be forced to return back to the bench.
Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to score for Manchester United this term
Cristiano Ronaldo has made seven appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils this term. While only two of those have been starts, he has struggled to impress whenever he has been on the pitch.
The former Real Madrid superstar is thus yet to score or assist a goal for the Old Trafford outfit this term. He will be determined to set the record straight soon, but it remains to be seen if he can do it soon.