'I'm not blaming Cristiano Ronaldo but...' - Ralf Rangnick admits striker not a 'pressing monster'
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Updated 22/05/2022 at 08:31 GMT
"Cristiano Ronaldo, and I’m not blaming him at all, he did great in those games, but he’s not a pressing monster" - Ralf Rangnick refused to blame Cristiano Ronaldo for his failure to implement his usual high-pressing brand of football, but admitted that pressing does not come naturally to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Ralf Rangnick has refused to blame Cristiano Ronaldo for the club's poor season, but admits the striker is not suited to a pressing style.
Ronalso was one of the few bright lights in a dismal season for United, scoring 24 goals across 39 games in all competitions.
But he has come under fire from fans and pundits for not pressing high up the pitch, a quality that has come to define Ralf Rangnick's football at previous clubs.
But Rangnick refused to blame the striker for the failures of his time in charge.
"Cristiano Ronaldo, and I’m not blaming him at all, he did great in those games," he said. "But he’s not a pressing monster. He’s not a player, even when he was a young player, who was crying, shouting 'hooray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?
"The same with quite a few other players so we had to make some compromises at one stage, maybe we made a few too many - that’s also possible."
Rangnick has criticised the club's lack of action in the January transfer window, especially with regards to reinforcements in attack.
But as the German takes on a behind the scenes role at the club, he promised that incoming boss Erik Ten Hag will having backing in the transfer market.
"We spoke about the last transfer window in January where we and the board decided not to sign any players but this is different now," he added. "In this summer window there will be some new players and Erik will also have some influence on which kind of player he wants."
"That [signing new players] will happen in this window and hopefully the next two windows and I think it's obvious to everybody for the owners, the board and every supporter we need to increase and raise the level of quality within the squad."
Rangnick will take charge of United's final match of the season against Crystal Palace, with Ten Hag in attendance.
But the Dutchman will not be able to watch Ronaldo up close as he is set to miss the match through an ongoing hip flexor injury.
But Ten Hag has expressed he desire to work with the Portuguese.
Ten Hag said: “I can’t wait to work with him.” when asked about his plans for the forward next season in quotes published by The Athletic.
And the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has returned the compliment.
"What I know about him is he did a fantastic job for Ajax, that he's an experienced coach," Ronaldo told the club website. "But we need to give him time. Things need to change the way he wants.
"I hope we have success, of course, because, if you have success, all of Manchester is going to have success as well. I wish him the best," he added.
"We are happy and excited, not only as players, but the supporters as well. Let's believe that next year we are going to win trophies."
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