“Theatre of dreams to nightmares” - Didi Hamann says ‘pathetic’ Manchester United are only in the title race thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's presence is the only reason why Manchester United are in the race for the Premier League title this season, according to Didi Hamann. The former Liverpool midfielder claims the Red Devils' level of performance at the moment is nothing but pathetic.

The 48-year-old boldly said:

"The only reason why Manchester United are still in the race for the Premier League title and doing alright in the Champions League is Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t even want to know where they would be without him and his goals. It is all patchwork. Old Trafford – that used to be the Theatre of Dreams. Right now, it is more like nightmares than dreams."

"Their performance is pathetic at the moment. They just don’t play good football. Sancho is way behind expectations, which I don’t understand."

Hamann added:

"With Raphael Varane, they've got a player that has a lot of experience, and with Cristiano Ronaldo, they've got one who knows the Premier League. I thought it would not take that long to integrate them into the team."

The German also spoke about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's position as Manchester United manager, stating that the Norwegian's sacking is only a matter of time.

He said:

"I believe the pressure on the manager will grow a lot. It is only a matter of time when – not if – they sack him because he has been there for too long, and you don’t see any progress."

"They're still playing the same football, which is not good to watch. That is not Manchester United. I think there will be a change of manager soon. Whether the new manager will be able to utilize their entire potential, we'll have to see. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not capable of that right now."

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Manchester United dragging Cristiano Ronaldo backwards?

Cristiano Ronaldo reacted angrily to Manchester United's draw with Everton at the weekend

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United with serious determination after leaving Juventus during the summer transfer window. The Portuguese has had an instant impact at Old Trafford, scoring five goals in six appearances across the Premier League and the Champions League.

However, the Red Devils have failed to impress as a team, winning just two of their last six games across all competitions. They do not seem to match CR7's ambitions, and this was evident in his reaction in the 1-1 draw with Everton last time out. He put on a frustrated face as he headed towards the dressing room immediately after the final whistle.