Ronaldo billed as Man Utd ‘leader-type’ despite seeing plenty of bench duty under Ten Hag

• Portuguese has struggled for minutes
• Returned to favour of late
• Heading back to Spain in Europa League

WHAT HAPPENED? The Portuguese superstar has made plenty of unwanted headlines in the 2022-23 campaign, with a failed push for the exits at Old Trafford during the last transfer window being followed by uncharacteristic struggles for goals and regular game time. Ronaldo has aired his frustration at times, with the 37-year-old dropped after refusing to enter a Premier League clash with Tottenham as a substitute, but he has come back into favour of late and is being backed to enjoy a productive return to Spain when United face Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag has said of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner: “He is really professional, he's in a group, he’s a leader type, he's a really important part of this group and in Spain he's a real threat to every defence, every gap he will use.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo’s previous stint in Spanish football saw him hit a record-setting haul of 450 goals for Real Madrid, with 15 of those efforts recorded across nine appearances against Real Sociedad.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

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WHAT NEXT? Ronaldo has passed 700 club goals this season, in what has been a remarkable career at the very highest level, but has just three efforts to his name in 2022-23 and continues to see questions asked of how long he will be sticking around in Manchester as the final year of his contract with United runs down.