Ralf Rangnick finds himself in an “impossible situation” managing Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, according to club legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
Ronaldo returned to the line-up in spectacular fashion on Saturday as his hat-trick secured a crucial 3-2 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford. His exploits also saw him break the record to become the highest FIFA recognised men's goalscorer of all time.
The victory gives United a huge boost in their quest to finish fourth in this season’s Premier League, with Ronaldo sending a timely reminder of his qualities. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has faced questions over his place in the side this season, with some pundits and fans believing he can't fit into a modern system.
His return to the side came a week after speculation surrounding his absence in the Manchester derby. Ronaldo missed the game through injury, although rumours circulated that he had been dropped by interim boss Ralf Rangnick, particularly after he flew home to Portugal on the day of the game.
Speaking about managing Ronaldo after the win over Spurs, Rangnick said: "It is challenging, it is a challenge with a player like him, he showed he’s still got quality to play for a club like Man United. If we want to be successful this season, we can only do it together."
Rangnick’s comments point towards the German not being entirely happy with Ronaldo’s trip to Portugal. Having questioned the United boss last weekend, Keane appeared to have some sympathy with Rangnick over his handling of the 37-year-old.
“That’s the challenge, what he’s doing on the pitch, what he’s doing away from the pitch, incident last week where he went away. If he did do that last week, he’s out of order, put a marker down and say that’s unacceptable,” Keane told Sky Sports.
“I’ve heard one or two players have done that in the past, the culture of the club that’s unacceptable, but you have to manage the player and say when he’s fit and available. He has to play for Manchester United because they need results and that top four, they need to look at the bigger picture.
“The manager there is probably thinking about getting the next few months over. Get in the top four, win against Atletico, see what happens from there and not get bogged down with the bigger picture.
“Just get over the line in some of these matches because Ronaldo won’t change, he’ll challenge but that’s what big players do. You have to stroke their egos but you also have to tell them who the manager is, but when you’re only in there for a few months that’s difficult. Easy for us to say here, but big players and when your contract's only a few months, big players will take advantage of that.”
Neville added: “Sir Alex Ferguson made decisions in the dressing room at Manchester United with control, backing from the club. Ralf Rangnick, in for four or five months, has no strength of position in these next few months so players can take liberties with that side of things.
“Cristiano Ronaldo going back to Portugal because he wasn’t selected - that’s not good. But what can Ralf Rangnick do about it?
“He’s in an impossible situation where he has to get in the top four. So he has to either put him in the team or leave him out again, and the situation exaggerates and gets worse.
“He’s in an impossible position because he has no strength and control. What he does have, if we believe what we were told, he has a two-year consultancy where he could say to the next manager, ‘this is what I’ve seen and this is what I didn’t like’. So players will have to be careful if he has got any power in selecting the next manager.”
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