KEY POINTS

  • Former Dutch national team manager Danny Blind criticizes Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Blind thinks Ronaldo is being selfish and is now a problem for Manchester United
  • Edinson Cavani has admitted that he and Ronaldo are competing for playing time

A former club manager sees Cristiano Ronaldo as a liability for Manchester United.

Ronaldo did not waste time and quickly took the English Premier League by storm upon making his Manchester United return.

However, good things seem to not last forever as the Red Devils have now lost three of their last five games.

Weighing in on the subject, former Dutch national team manager Danny Blind reckoned that as great a player Ronaldo is, he should be taking a step back and let “other” Manchester United stars work their magic as well.

“Ronaldo doesn’t really need to play an active role,” Blind told Sportnieuws after Manchester United’s draw with Everton on Saturday. “Like, ‘take your time.’ You also see the other players looking at you like, ‘how are we going to solve it then?’”

Blind further stressed that Ronaldo’s apparent selfishness is now beginning to cause problems for Manchester United.

“Normally, the striker runs from one central defender to the other,” he pointed out. “This caused a lot of miscommunication. Now, they are not playing in their familiar pattern. When the ball was deflected, you saw Paul Pogba coaching that they had to put all the pressure on. Ronaldo did not do that; he is not like that. He only thinks about goals and hopes others will conquer the ball.”

Contrary to what many believe, rumors claim that some in Manchester United are not happy with Ronaldo becoming the club’s biggest star.

One of them is World Cup winner Paul Pogba, according to Italian soccer journalist Paolo Condo.

Smoking: Paul Pogba impressed for Manchester United
Smoking: Paul Pogba impressed for Manchester United POOL / Laurence Griffiths

“After the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, [Paul] Pogba no longer feels like the great Manchester United star,” Condo recently told Sky Italia. "He is no longer the center of attention. And in the last few matches, Pogba’s performance has dropped a lot.”

Veteran Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani, meanwhile, recently admitted that he and Ronaldo are competing for the primary center-forward position.

"Those are things that happen, a lot of debate is created, but football is football and you don’t have to turn it around too much, it’s not because one or the other is there,” Cavani revealed. "The important thing is to be prepared for when it’s your turn, you always want to play, [Ronaldo] he wants to be there forever, but that is not going to change my way of thinking or acting."

"In football, you have to always be ready," the player continued. "It’s one of the keys at the top level. Sometimes you play more, sometimes you play less, managers make decisions, but that doesn’t stop the work to always be competitive. The league has just started and I have needed to be, not quite like last year, but I’m there to be a part of it."

Edinson Cavani of Manchester United
Edinson Cavani of Manchester United Getty Images | Michael Regan