Man City are “suffering” for not beating Man Utd to Cristiano Ronaldo signing, says ex-Red Devil | OneFootball

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·20 September 2021

Man City are “suffering” for not beating Man Utd to Cristiano Ronaldo signing, says ex-Red Devil

Article image:Man City are “suffering” for not beating Man Utd to Cristiano Ronaldo signing, says ex-Red Devil

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has made the bold claim that his old club currently have the best attack in the Premier League.

Man Utd beat West Ham 2-1 this weekend to continue their strong start to the campaign, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his fourth goal in three games, while Jesse Lingard came off the bench to net a stunning winner.


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Chadwick was impressed with what he saw from the Red Devils, especially as their attack got them through a tricky game while Manchester City were below-par in a surprise 0-0 draw at home to Southampton.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Chadwick analysed the state of United’s attack at the moment, insisting that City would probably be doing a lot better now if they had managed to get hold of Ronaldo this summer.

“It was massively important to get the win yesterday. Last weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo’s homecoming was one of the biggest feel-good moments since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, but then with the defeat at Young Boys it was important to bounce back,” Chadwick said.

“I think they thoroughly deserved the three points. West Ham’s goal came a little against the run of play, and it was a fantastic response, another goal from Ronaldo. I thought the second half West Ham defended really well and sort of restricted United. It looked like it was going to be a frustrating one, but then Jesse Lingard – who else? – scored a fantastic goal.

“It was a decent performance and massively important to get the win. Looking at the celebrations at the end, it feels like this could be a pivotal result moving forward. It’s been a strong start. Obviously it’s early days but it does feel like we could look back at the end of the season and think this was a massive result with that drama at the end.”

On City’s slow start, he added: “It’s dangerous to write City off. They had a poor start by their standards last season but went on to win the league at a canter. They’ve had some good performances and some indifferent ones.

Article image:Man City are “suffering” for not beating Man Utd to Cristiano Ronaldo signing, says ex-Red Devil

Manchester City could use a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque goals-scorer in their squad

“The main story is the Harry Kane one – they missed out on the striker they were looking for, and Aguero’s gone off to Barcelona, so there’s not really a 25-30 goal-a-season player in their squad. They’ve had some negative press as well in terms of struggling to fill their ground and it was a poor result against Southampton.

“It’s good from United’s point of view to see City struggling, but I don’t think you can really write them off. What Guardiola’s done in the past, the talent he’s got in his squad, you’d expect him to find a way for the team to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

“In that attacking area, United are as strong as they’ve been for many a year. They’ve got options – a lot of players who can score goals, which of course is the most important thing in football. The array of talent there is as good as it’s been for years and years, which gives you confidence.

“If you put Ronaldo in the Man City team they’d have won a few more games this season He’s so intelligent with his movement and the start he’s made at United is staggering, especially at his age. Four goals from three games – you’re not really surprised by it, every time he plays you expect him to score.

“City missed out on Harry Kane, they seemed close to Ronaldo as well, and now they’re suffering for it. The talent United have up front is probably the best in the Premier League this season.”

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United’s forward options are so good at the moment that Jadon Sancho couldn’t even get into the starting XI at the London Stadium, but Chadwick thinks the competition for places will be healthy.

Lingard also didn’t start but made a tremendous impact from the bench, and Chadwick thinks both players will have their roles to play in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side over the course of the season.

“Sancho is a hugely talented player, he can fill in on either side, so that gives Ole options,” he said.

“I think it has been a bit of a slow start for him, he’s not set the world alight yet, but it is early days. He’s a young boy, he had a long summer with England at the Euros, but I’m sure he’s going to make a huge impact.

“He’s a bit different in the way he plays to the other options in that position. Competition for places is what you want if you’re going to win leagues and cups. I’d be surprised if he didn’t start the cup game against West Ham in midweek, so he can make his mark and try to stay in the team.

Article image:Man City are “suffering” for not beating Man Utd to Cristiano Ronaldo signing, says ex-Red Devil

Jesse Lingard looks to have a role to play for Manchester United this season

“A confident Jesse Lingard offers something different, he can play central or wide. Whereas players like Sancho and Rashford carry the ball really well, Lingard for me is the one with the best movement off the ball. He pops up in different areas and is a willing runner, so if you’ve got Ronaldo or Cavani in the number 9 role, Lingard’s the one to run beyond them and create space.

“It was a brilliant finish from him and that’s two goals in his last two Premier League games, as well as two goals in his last England appearance. He has loads to offer.

“He’s at the stage of his career where he’ll want to play every week, but I wouldn’t put it past him to find a way into that United team because he’s a bit different to the other players who play in a similar position.”

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