Premier League’s Underachievers: 5 Big Names Missing the Mark So Far

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

This is a bit of an odd one, given that Ronaldo hasn’t really been given the proper chance to replicate his season last year. While it was by no means his best, Ronaldo still lead United in scoring but doesn’t quite seem to fit into Ten Haag’s plans. It’s even rumored that Ronaldo could depart his beloved United in January for playing time, something a player of his caliber and stature certainly deserves.

Even if this is the case, most know a January move is incredibly complicated, including Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes. Italian Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio said that “it’s difficult for him (Ronaldo) to move in January” and wondered “which kind of team can afford his salary because it’s a problem salary.”

In the Premier League, Ronaldo has only managed one goal and most definitely does not contribute other than in front of the net. So when he isn’t scoring, he isn’t doing much else to help the team. In fairness, he hasn’t been that guy for a long time. Ronaldo is the player you look for up top to create magic, chop inside and score wonder goals. He did it time after time at Real and took the Premier League by storm after arriving from Sporting Lisbon in his younger days, but hasn’t been somebody known for his off-ball work for the better part of his career.

This is counterintuitive to the style that Ten Haag plays, and the Dutch coach has shown that he will take no prisoners when it comes to squad selection, even when leaving out one of the greatest players this game has ever seen.

His age is starting to show, along with a bit of rust when faced with opportunities to score, but it should be safe to assume that anybody who is a true football fan, a fan of the game above all, should want him to succeed for as long as possible, as watching him throughout his career has been nothing short of marvelous.