"Help or a hindrance" - Former Manchester United striker questions Cristiano Ronaldo's role under Erik ten Hag

Former Manchester United forward Teddy Sheringham believes Erik ten Hag needs to work out whether Cristiano Ronaldo fits into his preferred playing style.

Ten Hag recently took over a Red Devils side who endured their worst ever Premier League campaign with respect to points in the 2021-22 season. United also failed to stage deep runs in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the Premier League giants' best player last season and looks set to stay at Old Trafford for the 2022-23 campaign as well. The 37-year-old is still a force of nature, but Sheringham believes Ten Hag needs to figure out if Ronaldo will offer "help" or be a "hindrance."

The Englishman, who won the treble with Manchester United back in 1999, told Lord Ping (as quoted by Manchester Evening News):

"A superstar like Ronaldo will demand to play. Ronaldo has to understand his own body as well and appreciate that he's not 28 anymore. He's not at the pinnacle of his career."

Sheringham continued:

"It's a tough one because Manchester United fans want to see him out there because he can still produce moments of absolute brilliance. Is he going to be perfect for the way Ten Hag wants to play? Ten Hag needs to work that out. He needs to think if Ronaldo will be a help or a hindrance."

He added that despite his "world-class" abilities, Cristiano Ronaldo's presence could make it difficult for United to find the "right balance":

"I think he’ll be a help because he's a world-class player, but he doesn't have the mobility as much as he used to. I still couldn't tell you exactly what type of player Ronaldo is. He’s not a right-winger anymore. He's not a number 10. He's not a centre-forward. It’s hard to find the right balance with him."

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Cristiano Ronaldo was Manchester United's best forward in the 2021-22 season

Cristiano Ronaldo netted 24 times in 38 matches across all competitions for Manchester United in the 2021-22 season. To put that into context, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho combined to score 11 goals from 81 matches for the Red Devils.

Ronaldo looks likely to lead the line for United next season as well, though the club have been linked with AS Roma's Tammy Abraham (Daily Star via Sky Sports). They missed out on Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez, but could still sign a forward with plenty of time left in the ongoing transfer window.