Man Utd fans told to consider four factors when criticising Ronaldo

Dimitar Berbatov doesn’t think Cristiano Ronaldo is the main issue at Man Utd and insists fans have unrealistic expectations of him.

The Portugal international rejoined the Red Devils in the summer from Juventus in a deal that captured the imagination of supporters.

Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane also arrived at Old Trafford with many expecting Man Utd to finally challenge for the Premier League title once again.

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However, that has not materialised with Ralf Rangnick’s side clinging on to fourth place after the German replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the interim boss at the end of November.

Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in 30 appearances this campaign but it’s a far cry from the numbers he has been used to putting up over the last decade or so.

There have been rumours that the Man Utd striker is unhappy with their position in the league and could look to leave the club if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

But Berbatov thinks Ronaldo has come in for some unfair criticism this season with fans and critics forgetting a number of factors impacting his performances.

Berbatov told Betfair: “When teams have a bad result the star players always end up with the blame, and at the minute with Manchester United, that’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

“At the moment he’s got just one goal in ten games and that seems problematic for everybody, but not for me.

“There are eleven players on the pitch and the blame should be shared. Ronaldo is an icon in the world of football and people need to remember that he’s 37.

“So, from time to time he is allowed to have a couple of bad games. But I don’t think that is the problem here.

“Overall, as a team when they have a good game they have to follow that up.

“I think Ronaldo is doing enough for United, obviously people will look for more because of the standards that he sets.

Cristiano Ronaldo talking about his son. pic.twitter.com/QfJ8fFViz1

— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) March 1, 2022

“There will always be people questioning him when he has a bad match, and they are taking advantage of that now. People need to consider his age, how he plays, his position and how the team plays.

“People need to be realistic with him and they need to know that it’s totally different when you’re 37 to being 27.

“He is going to have moments when he needs his teammates to produce more for him, that’s normal in football. Ronaldo is a total professional and he will speak to the manager and he will want to produce more.

“Everybody in the United team needs to produce more, the standards should be a lot higher than they are.

“Ronaldo is also a realistic guy, he will know that his performances aren’t where he wants them to be, even though he’s older and his game is totally different, he sets very high standards. I don’t think that needs explaining to him.

“Everything that he has achieved in football isn’t because of luck, he knows what he is doing, and he will know that he will need to produce more at the moment and trust me, that will drive him forward.

“People need to get off his back and let him get on with it.”