Following Manchester United humiliation by Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the FA Cup as the Championship side knocked out the Red Devils on penalties, a former Premier League star has blasted the Red Devils Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo saying he is ‘part of the problem’ at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n
Despite having taken the lead through Jadon Sancho after Cristiano Ronaldo kicked his penalty wide, the visitors equalised to take the game the full distance although the goal was not without its controversies.<\/p>\n
Unless they managed to overcome all odds and pull off the impossible act of producing the ultimate shock in the Champions League, the FA Cup was United’s last realistic chance of achieving silverware this season. Their most recent defeat has again raised questions over Ronaldo’s impact at the club with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has being on the receiving end of a savage blast by former striker Carlton Cole.<\/p>\n
United were lambasted for their dismal performance, and Cole has not only identified, but also singled out, Ronaldo as being a ‘part of the problem’ at the club and the former striker said on talkSport<\/em>:<\/p>\n “I got slated for saying this about Cristiano Ronaldo before, that he\u2019s come in and taken all the attention away from what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was doing.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m not saying that he\u2019s not going to score you goals, he scores a bag of goals, but was he the right thing for Man United? Was he the right thing for that team?<\/p>\n “The evidence shows, and not even just from tonight, but going on everything that has happened since he came in, Man United still have not gone to the next level.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s just Ronaldo\u2019s fault \u2013 a lot of things have happened \u2013 but he is part of the problem too.<\/p>\n “Obviously you\u2019re going to look for Ronaldo but I don\u2019t know whether he can lead by example anymore. He hasn\u2019t got that tenacity.<\/p>\n “Where he used to be buzzing around the pitch, now he\u2019s waiting, he\u2019s goal-hanging right now because he\u2019s trying to save his energy and score goals, that\u2019s what his job is and that\u2019s what we expect from him.<\/p>\n “The younger Ronaldo would have obviously been bombing around the pitch and charging about, but now he\u2019s got to depend on his teammates.<\/p>\n “He\u2019s a leader in his own way, but he can only say so much to the players. They need someone who is going to show action as well. I was looking on that pitch for a leader, and I didn\u2019t see one.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"