As one of the biggest signings in the recent history of Manchester United, CR7’s return from Juventus where Cristiano Ronaldo had been playing since 2018 has been game-changing. Already with four goals in just three games – albeit one in a shocking UEFA Champions League loss in Switzerland – the United legend looks set to further enhance his standing with the Old Trafford faithful.
However, for all of the benefits of having one of the best natural scorers in entire football history in the team, one other major benefit has been noted by former United frontman Louis Saha.
The Frenchman was a crucial goal-scorer for United after his move from Fulham, becoming an important squad player across several seasons. Speaking about the benefits of Ronaldo returning – who Saha played with at United – the former striker noted that Ronaldo brings a lot more to the team than just goals.
After all, the ‘wisdom’ from outside of United is that the club have bought a stagnating, static striker who only scores goals. Now, aside from the concept that ‘only scores goals’ is somehow a negative in a low-scoring sport like football, there was plenty of hand-wringing that Ronaldo would hamper the ability to build a functioning forward line.
As Saha has noted, though, the Portuguese arriving has freed up another talisman in the team. Prior to his arrival, Bruno Fernandes looked set to become the face and beating heart of the side. His outrageous scoring and his reliability in just about any situation made him the favourite of many fans. However, his output has dipped somewhat in 2021 – and Saha believes that Ronaldo returning changes things.
He opens up the space for Fernandes to do what he does best. A tremendous player in almost every aspect, Bruno looks set to benefit more than anyone from the arrival of the legendary forward.
What did Louis Saha say about Cristiano Ronaldo arriving?
When asked about the chance for the fledgling partnership to grow even more, Saha told Sky Sports: “Yes, because when Bruno Fernandes arrived he had to take all of the responsibilities and be like the main guy.
“Now I think he will be as great with other players and that will be really good. Bruno Fernandes, as a smarter player, understood straight away, and you will see that those two players will really improve the games, especially the tough ones.
“Those two players are there to create something special in Europe and I really believe they will. I can’t wait to see those games.”
It’s a fair point, and one that should have United fans salivating. On his own, Ronaldo is a game changer – as is Fernandes. Pair together two players with a near-telepathic understanding, then, and you have the makings of the most exciting attacking duo in the post-Ferguson history of the club.
For that reason, you are left with a pretty special looking team that could absolutely transform the entire club’s future. This could become a season to remember for all of the right reasons – just so long as the meltdown in Switzerland does not become the norm.
Considering the current Manchester United line-up, the only thing which can prevent a packed Old Trafford going forward is a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Manchester United tickets have been hard to obtain the last few years and considering the star power of players like Fernandes and Ronaldo this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. The best option is probably to plan ahead and try to obtain tickets for matches against some of the lesser light of the Premier League, like the match on December 4, where Manchester United will welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.
