PIERS MORGAN claimed Manchester United would be in a relegation battle without Cristiano Ronaldo – and the stats suggest he’s not far off.
The Red Devils were thumped 4-0 by Liverpool in an embarrassingly one-sided game at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Man Utd would be in even deeper trouble without Ronaldo, according to the stats Credit: Getty
Ronaldo, 37, unfortunately missed the game following the tragic death of his newborn son.
And United looked utterly toothless in attack without their star forward.
Incredibly, Liverpool battered United 9-0 across their two league games this season.
The Red Devils have only suffered a combined heavier defeat ONCE in their entire history, losing 11-0 across their two matches against Sunderland in 1892-93.
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Free bets – Paddy Power offer: Get £40 bonus when you stake £10 on football The defeat prompted Arsenal fan Piers to suggest United would be in a fight to avoid the drop into the Championship without Ronaldo.
Piers tweeted: “Manchester United without Ronaldo this season would be facing a relegation battle.
“Absolutely abysmal performance tonight.”
Incredibly, the stats suggest he’s not far off, either.
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Ronaldo has scored 15 Premier League goals this season, adding a further three assists.
Those goals – which included match-winning hat-tricks against Norwich and Tottenham – and assists have earned United an additional 15 points.
In the wake of Tuesday’s defeat at Anfield, United lie sixth on 54 points.
Without Ronaldo, Ralf Rangnick’s side would be way down in 12th in the table with just 39 points – still one point adrift of the magic “40-point” mark which famously secures a club’s top-flight status.
Worse yet, their goal difference would be a disgraceful -14 – with just 34 goals scored across their 33 games, while shipping 48.
In all, without Ronaldo United would have won just NINE matches so far this season, with a further 12 draws and 12 defeats.
In many years, that would be considered relegation form.
With 39 points, United would be just THREE POINTS above 15th-placed Aston Villa and six ahead of 16th-placed Leeds.
In fact, in this Ronaldo-less scenario, if the teams below them all won their games in hand, United would be 15th – perilously close to the drop zone.
The last time Man Utd finished in the bottom half of the top flight was in the 1989-90 season when they finished 13th when there were calls for Sir Alex Ferguson to be sacked.
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I need hip replacement but I’d rather be in a wheelchair, says Liam Gallagher So while fans and pundits – including Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher – debate the decision of United to re-sign Ronaldo, it’s clear he’s helped them massively this season.
He may not be at his world-beating best, yet he’s helped a lost-looking squad not only avoid relegation but even remain in the running for a Champions League spot.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
