"The Ronaldo experiment has been a bit of a failure so far" - José Kléberson believes Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United return has 'not been amazing'

Former Manchester United midfielder José Kléberson believes Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford has not gone according to the plans of the player and the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 from Serie A giants Juventus. Despite his high-profile arrival alongside Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, the Red Devils have failed to challenge for the Premier League title.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, Kléberson had this to say about Ronaldo's return to Manchester United:

"To be honest, the Ronaldo experiment has been a bit of a failure so far - especially because of the level of player he is and how of late he has impacted the team. When you look at the things he can bring to the club and what he brings to the fans, it's not been amazing. The current United team haven't played well together of late."

He added:

"It's a tough time for Ronaldo to have returned to the club. Both him and United have a huge history together. Players like Ronaldo come back to a club after time away and it's a totally different style of play and atmosphere to what they remember before. The club isn't the same as under Sir Alex Ferguson and it must be challenging for him to comprehend that."

The Red Devils are currently fourth in the Premier League standings, having accumulated 38 points from 22 matches. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are a mere two points behind Ralf Rangnick's side and have games in hand over them.

Ronaldo's impact has been minimal for Manchester United despite the fact that he is the club's top scorer this season. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 14 goals in 23 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled to find the net for Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November last year and hired Ralf Rangnick as their new manager on an interim basis. This appointment has affected Cristiano Ronaldo's form in the Premier League.

The 36-year-old forward has scored just two league goals for the Red Devils under the management of Rangnick. Those two goals came against Norwich City and Burnley, who were both in the relegation zone at the time.

As things stand, Cristiano Ronaldo has gone three matches in the Premier League without finding the back of the net. However, it is surely only a matter of time before the former Juventus and Real Madrid forward starts to score on a more consistent basis.