Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance against Chelsea on Thursday showed he could be a “big help” to Manchester United next season under Erik ten Hag, according to interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
Manchester United are usually soft again in the 1-1 draw, but Ronaldo at least made sure the Red Devils avoided three consecutive defeats in the Premier League for the first time since 2015.
Just 119 minutes after Marcos Alonso put Chelsea ahead at Old Trafford, Ronaldo grabbed Nemanja Matic past the defensive line and punched home.
Ronaldo has scored eight of nine goals for United in the recent Premier League, with Fred being the only player to score for the club this month.
Thursday’s goal saw Ronaldo reach 17th this season in the league, which is only Mohamed Salah, but Rangnick wanted to highlight the striker’s performance while applauding his defensive level.
Ronaldo’s future after the end of the season looks uncertain as United prepare for major speculation and reconstruction, but Rangnick could see the role of the 37-year-old if he can do so again.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rangnick said: “It’s not just the goal he scored today, all his performance, his attitude and how often he helped our team.
“At 37, he is a player like him – this is not uncommon to do that. He has shown today. If he plays the way he did today, he can still be a great help to the team.
“It is ultimately the decision of Erik and Cris what they want to do, and it is not my intention to talk about it.
“But as I said, today Cris’ performance was really good.”
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