Outgoing Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick on Saturday shared his honest opinions about the suitability of Cristiano Ronaldo in a team under Erik ten Hag, who is set to take charge of the club after Sunday.

“I agree we never came near to that aggressive, pro-active football [that ten Hag is expected to bring]. That has to do with physicality if we want to play like that. I’m more than self-critical. I should have done better. I expected that me and my coaching staff could have developed this team in a more sustainable kind of way,” Rangnick said on Saturday in his last press conference for the Red Devils.

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“We couldn’t and it’s not only the players who should be blamed, it should be ourselves. I am the one who is most disappointed about that and frustrated about that. At one stage we just had to find compromises – attacking a little bit deeper, how can we make sure that we get our offensive players into their positions?,” the German added, explaining the difficulties he faced in trying to revamp United’s playstyle.

Rangnick then went on to comment on Ronaldo, who has by far been the Red Devils’ best player this season, but appeared to be critical of the forward’s ability to play an aggressive brand of football.

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“Cristiano scored a few goals but, again, Cristiano – and I’m not blaming him at all, he did great in those games – but he’s not a pressing monster. He’s not a player – even when he was a young player – who was crying, shouting ‘hooray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?’,” Rangnick said.

“And the same with quite a few other players so we had to make some compromises at one stage, maybe we made a few too many – that’s also possible. We never found the right balance between what do we need with the ball and without the ball. Even in possession of the ball, we didn’t create as many chances as we should have done,” the German concluded, summing up United’s woeful season.

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Rangnick will lead the Red Devils for one last time against Crystal Palace on Sunday, a match which Ronaldo has reportedly been ruled out of with a hip injury. After Sunday’s match, a new era is expected to begin under ten Hag.

Among the many changes expected at Manchester United under the Dutchman, the biggest, perhaps, is a change in the club’s playing style.

An advocate of a high-pressing, attacking style of play, ten Hag is expected to completely overhaul the United team, and consequently, several departures are expected, with Ronaldo rumoured to be one.