Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick says ‘its obvious’ that Cristiano Ronaldo should be scoring more goals, while the German has also reacted to rumours of squad unrest.
Ronaldo, now 37, came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Burnley on Tuesday after Rangnick decided to start Edinson Cavani up front. Ronaldo did not manage to grab the winner, taking his drought to five games in all competitions for United.
That is the attacker’s longest run without finding the net since 2010, during his days at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo will be looking to rectify the issue when the Red Devils host Southampton on Saturday at 12:30. And Rangnick has called upon his star player to deliver.
“It’s not only about Cristiano Ronaldo. He should score more goals, it’s obvious,” the manager told a pre-match press conference (via the Manchester Evening News). “I think we are creating enough chances and enough opportunities in the last couple of games but we just didn’t score enough goals, but this is not only an issue with Cristiano. It’s an issue with the other players, especially the offensive players. We don’t score enough goals.
“If you bear in mind how many chances we create, this is something that needs to get better in the next couple of weeks. At Burnley, in 70 of those 90 minutes, it was very, very, very close to the game plan we spoke [about] before the game and now it’s about rewarding ourselves and also getting the results we deserve.”
Southampton will be tough opponents, as shown by their 3-2 away victory over Tottenham in midweek. Saints came from behind twice before snatching the winning goal through Che Adams in the 82nd minute.
Saints game will be difficult – Ralf Rangnick
“We are fully aware this will be a difficult one,” Rangnick added. “Obviously, I watched the game at Spurs during the week and they really deserved to win. They tactically played at a very high level and this will be a challenge for us, but I’m sure we’ll be up for that challenge.
“We’ll prepare today for tomorrow’s game and we have to win the game, that’s for sure. We did well in both first-halves against Middlesbrough and Burnley, but we need top performances [for] the whole game against Southampton and Brighton.”
The former RB Leipzig chief was then asked about potential unrest in the United camp. According to a report from ESPN, the players have been left frustrated by Rangnick’s training methods.
They have even compared his assistant manager, American Chris Armas, to fictional coach Ted Lasso.
“[I’ve heard] nothing, to be honest,” Rangnick said on the issue. “I haven’t read any newspapers or those articles.
“The way we have developed is obvious, the work we do on the pitch and the video analysis.”
Which Premier League managers would get in their own teams and who wouldn’t even make the bench?
On club captain Harry Maguire, who has been criticised in recent weeks, Rangnick continued: “I think he had an outstanding game vs West Ham. We could have defended transitional moments better at Burnley but the rest of our defence was not really good. We should not have allowed the counter-attack to happen.
“Harry was injured, came back, had a very good game vs West Ham and sure he can perform like that tomorrow.”
German talks Man Utd improvement
It has been an eventful few months for the 63-year-old, following his appointment on November 29. The team has shown some signs of improvement, although they are still someway off the Premier League’s leading pack.
When asked if he was surprised by how long the improvements are taking, Ralf Rangnick said: “No. I was fully aware that this was a process and would take some time. The development is obvious, even in those two games.
“In football it is about getting the reward, the best result, and in those two games that was the only thing I could fault us on.”
He continued: “I can only tell you what I have experienced in the last few weeks. I’d even say they were good had we won at Burnley. It is about improving in terms of performance and results. The team has developed, even the players realise themselves how much they have improved, especially in control of the game.”
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