The stage was set for Cristiano Ronaldo as soon as he sealed his storybook return to Manchester United.
Having left Old Trafford as the world’s best player, Ronaldo spent the next decade underlining those credentials, winning everything on offer at Real Madrid and Juventus. And so when United managed to fend off interest from Manchester City to re-sign him, there was cause for widespread celebration.
The 37-year-old was quickly identified as the missing piece of a United team which finished as ‘best of the rest’ the season previous. His second debut suggested that would be the case as well, scoring two in a home win over Newcastle in September 2021.
A couple of months on and despite his goals, that optimism and nostalgia had been replaced by question marks over his contribution to the overall setup. Heavy defeats to Leicester City and Liverpool had left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the brink of the sack going into the Champions League clash with Atalanta in Bergamo.
Ronaldo had already completed one rescue act against the Italians, scoring the winner in a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory at Old Trafford. And in a game United needed to avoid defeat to keep their destiny in their own hands, he repeated the trick.
Atalanta took the lead through Josip Illicic, only for Ronaldo to hit back before the half-time whistle. Duvan Zapata then put the hosts back in front with a goal which looked destined to be the winner. However, with the seconds ticking away and Solskjaer staring down the barrel of the sack, Mr Reliable delivered again, firing in a sumptuous volley in added-on time to earn them a valuable point.
The United players flocked to Ronaldo following the final whistle, in acknowledgement that he had spared their blushes almost single handedly. To emphasise his standing in the squad at that time, he sent a warning to his teammates telling them they had to adapt to survive in the team.
"We still have to improve. We have different players and different systems. We have to adapt but it will take time. We have time to improve,” he said in his post-match media commitments.
Solskjaer highlighted the fact it was essentially a one-man rescue act as well: “Cristiano is just incredible. That's what he does. If there's any chance you want to fall to in the last minute, and a difficult chance, then it's him. He keeps his eye on the ball and his technique on that volley is incredible. That's football.”
But those scenes at The Gewiss Stadium proved to be little more than a false dawn, for not only Solskjaer, but for United in general. A thrashing by Watford less than three weeks later would end his Red Devils tenure in the dugout, with the rot having firmly set in.
United made it to the knockout stages in Europe, but Ronaldo failed to make any impact as they fell to Atletico Madrid in the last-16. The Portuguese icon would end his first season back with the club as their top scorer, but if the writing wasn’t on the wall already, the message was certainly being drafted.
For all of his goals, the results pointed to the fact that United were a less effective team when it was built around the qualities - albeit prodigious qualities - of the veteran Ronaldo.
Almost a year on from those heroics in Northern Italy and the picture could scarcely be more different. Once the main man, Ronaldo is very much a support act within Erik ten Hag’s newly-assembled squad.
Under the Dutchman, he has found himself on the bench more often than not and - as his most recent indiscretion proved - he is no longer the beneficiary of any special treatment. After preaching for his colleagues to adapt and improve, the same is now being asked of him.
Ten Hag has been brave in keeping United’s most recognisable and well paid player out of the line-up, until he delivers what he needs from his players. “We have certain demands from players, what we expect in certain positions on the pitch,” Ten Hag said last month.
“I want to get the best out of him, he’s in better shape now and I’m happy with that so he can contribute more to the squad, and I’m sure he will do. At the start, it was the case [lack of fitness], it’s proven once again, no one can miss a pre-season.”
Reports have also suggested that the dressing room, previously at the beck and call of its talisman now thinks they are better off with Marcus Rashford leading the line. A year is a lifetime in football.
