“He is past his zenith” – Bayern Munich legend makes bold assessment of Cristiano Ronaldo based purely on ‘sporting terms’

Former Bayern Munich star Stefan Effenberg believes Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo is past his peak.

Ronaldo was re-signed by the Red Devils last summer to much fanfare. However, the Portuguese hasn’t necessarily found it easy going at Old Trafford. The club paid £12.9 million plus a further £6.9 million in add-ons for his services.

Although Ronaldo has scored 15 times in 31 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions this season, it’s clear that his powers are on the wane.

He endured his longest goal drought since 2009 after failing to find the back of the net for 537 minutes before his strike against Brighton in February.

At 37, Ronaldo wasn’t a long-term addition to the Red Devils squad. When he isn’t scoring goals, he tends to be a liability on the pitch as his off-the-ball work isn’t great.

Effenberg feels Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has the tough job of steering the club into the top four and bringing the best out of an out-of-prime Cristiano Ronaldo.

The German said:

"This is not an easy task for Rangnick, who has to deal with many problems. [Cristiano Ronaldo] that’s another Rangnick construction site. For United fans, Ronaldo is untouchable for life because he has done incredible things for the club.

"In purely sporting terms, for all the class that still exists, he is past his zenith. A goalkeeper or defender at 37 can perhaps still consistently deliver at that level. As a striker, that is much more difficult nowadays, almost impossible."

Manchester United will be kicking on despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s poor form

Rangnick has done well to steady the ship since taking over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United's interim boss.

The club’s reliance on Ronaldo has reduced as they have played more as a team under Rangnick in recent months.

Ronaldo has found the back of the net just once in the last 10 games, but the Red Devils have still done well.

Manchester United are currently in the top four of the Premier League. They occupy fourth place in the standings with 47 points from 27 games. The side also picked up a favorable result in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Atletico Madrid (1-1 draw).

Ronaldo’s goals in the first half of the season were crucial. However, if he continues to fire blanks, the 37-year-old could be dropped in the coming weeks.