Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped for Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend, but Teddy Sheringham believes that the criticism the Portuguese forward has received is unjust
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Cristiano Ronaldo should “without a doubt” start against Arsenal on Thursday night despite being dropped against Chelsea
That is the verdict of Teddy Sheringham, who has thrown his weight behind the under-fire Portuguese after he was axed for the 1-1 draw last weekend.
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford in the summer brought with it high expectations, along with the arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
However, the Red Devils have started the new season in disappointing fashion which saw the departure of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has since been replaced by Ralf Rangnick on a six-month contract.
A lot of blame has been put on the shoulders of Ronaldo for the club’s recent poor form, with caretaker manager Michael Carrick even dropping the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for the clash with Chelsea last weekend.
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Speaking to the Mirror, Sheringham said that Ronaldo must play against the Gunners. Asked whether the 55-year-old would play the Portugal captain if he was manager, Sheringham replied: “Yes, without a doubt.
“I have to agree with Roy Keane in what he said the other night in that if you’ve got someone of Ronaldo’s ability, he’s come back to Manchester United to play in these big games, that’s what big players do, they perform at the top level in the big games.
“Chelsea the other night, he should’ve been playing. Arsenal, again, is a big game, they’re encroaching on the top four at the moment, it’s always a big game against Arsenal for Manchester United. You need your best players out there and he’s without a doubt one of their best players.”
Since returning to the Premier League, Ronaldo has scored four goals and assisted two in 10 appearances, but his unwillingness to put defenders under constant pressure has left him vulnerable to criticism.
With Rangnick expected to implement a high pressing, aggressive system at the Theatre of Dreams, many have questioned how the forward will fit into the former RB Leipzig boss’ plans.
But Sheringham has defended Ronaldo, pointing towards his goals tally so far this campaign
“If you look at his goalscoring record, he’s come in and he’s performed in the high profile games when they’ve needed goals, he’s come up trumps, again.
“That’s what top players do, they hit the mark when they’re needed and he’s done that already. It’s the early part of the season but he’s still made the significant performances when he’s needed to.”
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And Sheringham isn’t the first United legend to jump to the defence of Ronaldo as Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher clashed in explosive fashion on Sky Sports on Sunday, with the former most notably saying: “If you’re watching Man United today and Man United are poor, you’re still thinking if Ronaldo is on the pitch, whatever your feelings are, if you want the ball to fall to anybody in world football – even now at 36 – it’s Ronaldo.
“It’s not as if he’s come back to the club and he’s not scored, and you go ‘he can’t get up to speed, he looks off it, he’s as if he’s not interested,’ – he looks on it, he looks interested.
“But you don’t bring Ronaldo back to Man United to sit on the bench.”
The clash on Thursday night is regarded as a six-pointer for both sides as they look to battle it out for the fourth Champions League spot, with a victory for the Red Devils bridging the gap between themselves and the Gunners to just two points.
Teddy Sheringham was speaking to the Mirror in association with 978bet
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