Cristiano Ronaldo might have signed for Chelsea this summer had Thomas Tuchel not been advised to steer clear of him by former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
Blues owner Todd Boehly was very keen on bringing Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge as his marquee summer signing and even met with the player’s agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a deal.
But the move was vetoed by Tuchel, who, according reports, was put off after getting in touch with old pal Rangnick to ask him what working with Ronaldo was like.
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Rangnick’s warning should come as little surprise, particularly after the German – who managed Ronaldo for six months last term – criticised the Portugal superstar’s reluctance to press shortly after quitting Old Trafford at the end of last season.
He said: “[Ronaldo is] not a pressing monster. He’s not a player, even when he was a young player, who was crying, shouting ‘hooray, the other team has got the ball, where can we win balls?’
“We [United] had to make some compromises [for him] at one stage, maybe we made a few too many.”
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Ronaldo has featuring in every single one of United’s opening four Premier League matches, though has only made one start – the 4-0 demolition at the hands of Brentford.
The former Real Madrid man is still seeking a move away, especially after falling out of favour with manager Erik ten Hag, though with no offers on the table, and just a few days before the transfer window closes, Ronaldo might be forced to stay put.
(Image: Bongarts/Getty Images)
Rangnick is credited with being one of the first to champion Gegenpressing, a widely-heralded modern tactical approach where teams press their opponents aggressively and methodically in order to win the ball back.
Tuchel has spoken in the past about how much Rangnick has influenced his managerial career, as have Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, among others.
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