Victor Ikpeba, a former Nigeria international, has described Cristiano Ronaldo as a “minus one” for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United side.
The former Nigerian striker went on to suggest Solskjaer to bench the Portuguese superstar.
Manchester United’s last game before the international break was a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, and Ikpeba questioned Solskjaer’s tactics.
The former African Footballer of the Year questioned the contribution of Ronaldo to the team despite the Portugal International scoring 9 goals in 12 appearances this term.
Ikpeba blamed United attackers for the defeat to Man City, saying they failed to play a high-pressing game whereas the City players defended as a unit.
The Monaco ex-winger noted that Ronaldo has excellent goal-scoring pedigree but contributes little or nothing to the Red Devils team.
“The great managers come from the ability to get the best from your players, but if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not getting the best from these players, I feel some of the Manchester United players up front are very lazy,” Ikpeba told SuperSport’s Monday Night Football.
“I want us to look at the game against Man City, how Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva pressed. They did not allow the defenders to start the build-up from the defence, why can’t Man Utd players do the same?
“We saw what Crystal Palace did to Manchester City, they defended very well.
“I always say Ronaldo is minus one for Manchester United. He can score beautiful goals, he cannot defend.
“When you look at the opposition, they defend as a team, they attack as a team, they know when to play the pressing game.
“Solskjaer has to be ruthless. I want to say put Ronaldo on the bench when he is not performing well. “
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