Could Cristiano Ronaldo find himself among the substitutes at Manchester United under reported managerial target Antonio Conte? Gabriel Agbonlahor seems to think so.
This is a perfect case of us getting a little head of ourselves, discussing what life could be like under a new manager, who is not confirmed to be a club target, while the man currently in charge of Man United is yet to be dismissed.
That said, in wake of the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, there’s a real chance that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be sacked by Man United, with Antonio Conte the most logical replacement for the struggling Red Devils.
While appointing Conte is as close to guaranteeing success as you can get in football right now, it could prove to be bad news for one Man United player in particular – Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, speaking on talkSPORT, cited a conversation with former teammate Ashley Young, during which he explained that players that can’t run simply won’t play under Conte.
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“Ashley Young, I spoke to him about Conte, he played with him at Inter. He said, ‘Non-stop running, every day in training, run run run’.”
“If you can’t run, you’re not going to play in his teams. So I think he’s what that team needs.”
“Someone going in there and saying, if you’re not doing what I want and you’re not doing as you’re told, you’re out.”
“I don’t care if it’s [Cristiano] Ronaldo, if it’s [Mason] Greenwood, if it’s [Paul] Pogba. If you’re not doing what I want and working hard, you’re coming to sit with me.”
Ronaldo, at his grand old age, quite clearly preserves his energy for short bursts which are used effectively to result in goals (or at least goal-scoring opportunities).
The Portuguese superstar does not press as proactively as many of his peers, which could see him relegated to the subs bench, were Conte to arrive at Old Trafford…