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Speaking ahead of Watford's game against Manchester United, Hornets manager Roy Hodgson discussed about how Cristiano Ronaldo could impact the game.
Although the Hornets won the last time both teams met, and Ronaldo has struggled in front of goal recently. The 37-year-old remains his team's top scorer this season with 15 strikes across competitions.
However, he has netted only once in his last nine outings. That includes blanks in the Premier League game at Leeds United last weekend and the Champions League Round of 16 first-leg draw against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in midweek. Nevertheless, Hodgson has no doubt about Ronaldo's pedigree, saying:
"I'm a great believer in the Swedish mantra or maxim which translates into English as 'What has been, has gone.' I haven't been following Manchester United as closely as some, so I don't know how many off-days he's had – what I do know is that he's one of the world's greatest players, and he will always be in that group, certainly in my lifetime."
However, the Watford manager hopes Ronaldo would have an off-day against his team, or not feature in the game at all. He said:
“I don't know about his off-days, but he's very welcome to have one – and if Ralf (Rangnick) wants, he's welcome to leave him out of the team as well. I wouldn't mind one bit.
He added:
“If our players don't understand that this is a great opportunity, to walk out in front of 75,000 people in one of the temples of football, it'll never happen. It's a nice feeling to win at Old Trafford, but there's no magic that I can transfer from those games to help Watford.”
The Hornets currently sit second from bottom in the Premier League table, and will need a change in fortunes to escape the drop.
Hornets fans will be encouraged by the fact that their team won their last league meeting against the Red Devils. They secured a 4-1 victory against a side that featured Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hodgson will hope to secure a similar result away at Manchester United this time, and keep Ronaldo quiet. If they can take three points, it would help the Hornets prevent a swift return to the Championship.
Cristiano Ronaldo has held talks with Ralf Rangnick about Manchester United's tactics - Reports
According to reports by the Athletic, via the Mirror, Cristiano Ronaldo is said to have approached interim manager Ralf Rangnick to discuss potential tactical changes.
The Portuguese forward has asserted himself as one of the leaders in the United dressing room, so this request doesn’t come as a surprise. His former Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri and former teammate Dimitar Berbatov have spoken of similar actions during their time with him.
It remains to be seen if Rangnick uses a different formation to help Ronaldo return to goalscoring ways.
