Although we’re still in the midst of the international break, giddy Manchester United fans are already looking forward to the return of the Premier League next week when Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford.
A key reason why is that fans should be provided with an opportunity to see Cristiano Ronaldo back in a United shirt for the first time in 12 years.
The signing of the Portuguese star was made official earlier this week, and there’s a chance that he could well be handed his second full debut in next weekend’s clash against Steve Bruce’s side.
This mouthwatering prospect then leads to questions surrounding how the United attack could line up with Ronaldo included.
It’s no secret that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer favours a 4-2-3-1 formation and uses it almost exclusively in most matches.
In this season so far, the attacking quartet has consisted predominantly of Paul Pogba on the left, Bruno Fernandes through the middle, the recently departed Dan James or Jadon Sancho on the right with Mason Greenwood upfront.
Greenwood has been United’s star attacker thus far, netting in three straight matches. Yet it’s likely he’d be pushed out of the centre-forward role to cater for Ronaldo who’s very much a penalty box player these days.
It’ll be a similar situation to make room for Edinson Cavani too who will again be available for selection against Newcastle.
Given Greenwood’s form, it’s unlikely and would be unfair for him to be dropped from the side altogether, therefore he will instead probably be pushed out to the right of the Reds attack. Although this would mean he was no longer the focal point of United’s attack, it’s still a position in which he could thrive, especially alongside Ronaldo.
Back at Juventus last season, the Italian giants most often lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Ronaldo playing alongside the likes of Alvaro Morata in a front two. Ronaldo obviously thrived within the same, scoring 29 goals in 33 appearances. But so did Morata, scoring 20 goals of his own across all competitions.
Although United don’t play with a two-up-top formation like Juventus did, the 4-2-3-1 that they do deploy will often develop into something that resembles a 4-4-2 when attacking inside the opposition’s half due to the profiles United have.
Pogba brings creativity from the left, whilst this is also one of Fernandes’ greatest strengths, meaning he can naturally drift out to the right to provide a threat from that area. Consequently, Greenwood can look to drift dangerously in towards the penalty area, alongside Ronaldo.
Natural width would be provided by overlapping wing-backs, whilst one of the midfield holding two, most likely Scott McTominay, could push up to occupy the space vacated by Fernandes.
The above highlights how we may see Ronaldo fit into Solskajer’s side, without too much disruption to key players already within it. It also underlines just how lethal United could be as an attacking outfit this season, with one of the club's greatest ever players set to team up with one of its most exciting prospects.
