'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Liverpool and Manchester City star David James has offered his verdict on the rumored rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United.
The Red Devils' frustrating run of form has coincided with reports of players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, being unconvinced by Rangnick and his training methods.
In the wake of reports pointing to a fractured relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Rangnick, James touched upon how unusual it sounds when it comes out of Old Trafford.
The Englishman recollected how Manchester United were once so well-knit as a unit that no behind-the-scenes information leaked out of the club. In stark contrast, the Premier League club have had too much noise coming out of the dressing room lately.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Champions League round of 16 first leg ties, James told Sportskeeda:
“You mentioned the word ‘noise’ and that’s something which, from an outsider in so many different contexts for Manchester United, that was one thing you would never hear in the past was any noise coming out of the club."
"What happened in the club, stayed in the club to the point where even international teammates wouldn’t talk about what was going on inside the club even though it seemed quite obvious that something was going on."
Recently, Rangnick admitted publicly that Manchester United need to look for a young striker who can find the back of the net regularly in the summer. However, James is of the opinion that the Manchester United boss should not have talked about it to the media just yet.
He opined that the comments could only add to the speculation and negativity surrounding the club at the moment.
"You don’t talk about wanting to replace players, talk about anything that might not be the best in the situation because ultimately that gives opportunity for this conversation to continue and the more the conversation continues, the more the truth gets eroded and speculation starts to follow."
"What’s happened in the last couple of weeks with Rangnick has really exposed a side to Manchester United which isn’t good."
James also admitted he is unsure whether Manchester United can finish fourth in the Premier League this term. As such, there could be extra pressure on them to deliver in the Champions League, which could probably be their only way back into Europe's elite club competition next season.
Couple of bad games for Manchester United will not define Cristiano Ronaldo, says David James
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is currently on a six-game goalless run at Manchester United. Notably, it is also the longest streak without scoring for the Portuguese forward since 2010.
Despite the concerns surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his recent performances, James firmly believes the Red Devils' talisman will bounce back. He is also of the opinion that a couple of frustrating games does not mean Cristiano Ronaldo has suddenly become a bad player.
"With regards to Ronaldo, he is competitive. When it comes to the Champions League, in a sense he becomes the superman that Manchester United had signed and he’s not doing that in the Premier League."
"I would argue that he has had a lot of opportunities, especially in the last couple of games to score goals, which he hasn’t. But that can be down to a number of different factors. A couple of games in Ronaldo’s career are not going to define him being a good or bad player."
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Round 16 - 1st Leg): Paris vs Real Madrid – LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on February 16, 2022, from 1:30 am IST.
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Round 16 - 1st Leg): Sporting CP vs Man City – LIVE on SONY TEN 1 (English) channels on February 16, 2022, from 1:30 am IST.
