"The pressing from him was absolutely outstanding" - Carragher debunks CR7 myth

Football pundit Jamie Carragher has debunked Cristiano Ronaldo's unwillingness to press for Manchester United by drawing comparisons to Borussia Dortmund's playing style.

Carragher said Ralf Rangnick will want his two number 10s to make forward runs into the channels between opposing full-backs and centre-backs. The system is similar to what Borussia Dortmund use. Speaking on Monday Night Football (via the Manchester Evening News), Carragher said:

"We saw a lot of that from Manchester United. Two tens as Rangnick called them, but this is what he will want from players in that position, making that run forward between full-back and centre-back. That's where Manchester United are going to find their attacking players more often than not."

Carragher was impressed to see Cristiano Ronaldo pressing the opposition during Manchester United's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League. The pressure from United's attacking players is exactly what Ralf Rangnick would have wanted. Carragher added:

"It takes me back to the weekend with Cristiano Ronaldo, the pressing from him was absolutely outstanding and this is what he [Rangnick] will want from his attacking players, central strikers. From what we saw at the weekend [in the match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich], the two tens and two centre forwards right up alongside the Bayern defence."

Carragher also pointed out the similarities in Manchester United's style of play under Rangnick with that of Bayern Munich and Dortmund. The former Liverpool defender added:

"Where it pays dividends is you then find that player - it could be Bruno Fernandes - in that pocket in that hole. At the weekend for United it was [Marcus] Rashford and Ronaldo, [for Borussia Dortmund] Haaland and Reus making runs in behind. From the two top teams in Germany we saw so much of what we saw from Rangnick’s first game at Manchester United."

Cristiano Ronaldo went goalless in Ralf Rangnick’s first game in charge of Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to get on the scoresheet in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge of Manchester United. However, the Red Devils still secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, thanks to a second-half strike from Fred.

Ronaldo, however, remains Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season. The 36-year-old forward has scored 12 goals in 17 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily criticized for his lack of work-rate under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was seen contributing to the press in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge at Old Trafford.