'He's Not the Player He Was in His Twenties': Rooney Assesses Ronaldo's Second Stint at Man Utd
08:06 GMT 05.04.2022 (Updated: 11:44 GMT 10.12.2022)
© AP Photo / Jon Super
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Cristiano Ronaldo may have won multiple titles, including three trophies in the English top flight and the Champions League in his first stint with Man United. But his second spell has been a disaster to say the least. While CR7 has scored goals, the Red Devils are heading for yet another silverware-less season.
Former England captain and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Old Trafford hasn't been beneficial for the club.
Hinting that United's management made a mistake by signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner last summer, Rooney said that Ronaldo was no longer the player he was a decade ago and the 20-time English champions needed fresher legs to turn things in their favour.
"He has scored goals, important goals in the Champions League early on, he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham, but if you're looking to the future of the club you have to go with younger, hungry players to do the best to lift Man Utd over the next two or three years", Rooney told British broadcaster Sky Sports.
According to Rooney's assessment, Ronaldo is still a threat in front of the opposition's goal post, but to get out of their current rut, United need players who are young, supremely talented, and are relentless in their pursuit of excellence.
"Cristiano is getting on a bit. He isn't the player he was in his twenties and that happens, that's football. He's a goal threat but in the rest of the game they need more. They need young, hungry players", Rooney added.
The ex-Everton forward has known Ronaldo from close quarters as he shared United's dressing room with the Portuguese wizard during the 2000s when the pair was part of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering side.
Rooney, however, isn't the first man to say that Ronaldo's powers are on the wane as former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has repeatedly declared that the 37-year-old footballer is a spent force in the sport.
Despite his heavy criticism from various quarters, Ronaldo has been United's top scorer with 18 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this term.
In fact, he's the only player from the club to achieve double digits as far as goals are concerned.
Though he has lacked consistency on the pitch, at times Ronaldo has looked simply unstoppable. A case in point was his hat-trick against Tottenham last month, which took his tally of goals to 807 and made him the all-time scorer in football.
Hinting that United's management made a mistake by signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner last summer, Rooney said that Ronaldo was no longer the player he was a decade ago and the 20-time English champions needed fresher legs to turn things in their favour.
"He has scored goals, important goals in the Champions League early on, he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham, but if you're looking to the future of the club you have to go with younger, hungry players to do the best to lift Man Utd over the next two or three years", Rooney told British broadcaster Sky Sports.
According to Rooney's assessment, Ronaldo is still a threat in front of the opposition's goal post, but to get out of their current rut, United need players who are young, supremely talented, and are relentless in their pursuit of excellence.
"Cristiano is getting on a bit. He isn't the player he was in his twenties and that happens, that's football. He's a goal threat but in the rest of the game they need more. They need young, hungry players", Rooney added.
The ex-Everton forward has known Ronaldo from close quarters as he shared United's dressing room with the Portuguese wizard during the 2000s when the pair was part of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering side.
Rooney, however, isn't the first man to say that Ronaldo's powers are on the wane as former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has repeatedly declared that the 37-year-old footballer is a spent force in the sport.
Despite his heavy criticism from various quarters, Ronaldo has been United's top scorer with 18 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this term.
In fact, he's the only player from the club to achieve double digits as far as goals are concerned.
Though he has lacked consistency on the pitch, at times Ronaldo has looked simply unstoppable. A case in point was his hat-trick against Tottenham last month, which took his tally of goals to 807 and made him the all-time scorer in football.
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