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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Kadeem Simmonds

Demba Ba makes exciting Cristiano Ronaldo and Ralf Rangnick prediction

Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba believes incoming Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick will get the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rangnick is expected to join United over the next few days having secured a work permit over the weekend.

The 63-year-old has been dubbed the godfather of gegenpressing which has led to many people under the impression he will drop Ronaldo from his starting line-up.

Since returning to Old Trafford in the summer, Ronaldo has registered some of the lowest running stats in the United team.

Ba, who worked under Rangnick at German club Hoffenheim, is of the belief that Rangnick will find a way to incorporate the star striker in his team.

“Yes. I believe yes,” Ba said when asked if Ronaldo will fit into Rangnick’s plans on beIN Sports before the game. “Rangnick has that intelligence to get the best out of the players.

“Also, I believe that he also has that intelligence to adapt to that squad he has, when he has it.”

Rangnick was quoted five years ago, when the German coach was at RB Leipzig, saying that he would not sign Ronaldo to his team.

In caretaker manager Michael Carrick's second game in charge of the Red Devils, he opted to leave Ronaldo on the bench and start Bruno Fernandes in a False 9 role with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho either side of the Portuguese playmaker.

Ronaldo was introduced as a second-half substitute where the game finished 1-1, Sancho scoring the opener and his second goal in succession.

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