After finally securing the signature of Jadon Sancho and with Edinson Cavani staying for another season, the re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is like opening that special Christmas present that you will always remember for the rest of your life.
United’s forward options looked well-rounded with plenty of depth even before Ronaldo resigned, but now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has the ultimate injection of firepower and guaranteed goals with the great Portuguese back.
Despite Mason Greenwood starting the season on fire, Marcus Rashford continues to recover from shoulder surgery and Anthony Martial has only just returned from injury himself.
Also, Solskjaer has confirmed that Cavani is struggling with a ‘slight strain’ and that has kept him out of the Newcastle and Young Boys matches.
Ronaldo availability welcomed
At the age of 36, Ronaldo’s ability to be available for every game due to his impeccable fitness regime is a massive boost for United.
In contrast, since Cavani has joined United, he has struggled with minor injuries which may have only kept him out for a couple of games, but it did leave United light up front when he was unavailable.
The Uruguayan missed the crucial final Champions League group stage clash against Leipzig where United lost 3-2 and had to settle for Europa League football.
According to Transfermarkt, Cavani missed 11 United games last season due to injuries.
In comparison, during his three seasons at Juventus, Ronaldo missed just six games due to injuries (Transfermarkt).
Ronaldo return puts less pressure on Cavani
Had Ronaldo not returned to the club, the absence of Cavani would have had a bigger impact on the dressing room and our ability to hurt teams.
But with Cavani working his way back up to full fitness, Solskjaer has the luxury of selecting an in-form Ronaldo.
We saw against Southampton when Anthony Martial led the line, that he either simply wasn’t ready, or just wasn’t good enough to make his mark.
It is worth remembering that despite Ronaldo’s phenomenal physical condition, at the age of 36, three games a week will take a lot out of him.
But if Cavani can shrug off the niggly injuries, Solskjaer can rest Ronaldo where required and bring in a striker who has the same burning desire to score goals and win games for his side.
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