
Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd pair branded ‘dummies’ in scathing attack – ‘worst Ronaldo has ever played with’

A pundit has absolved Cristiano Ronaldo of blame for the Red Devils’ poor form after claiming a pair of Man Utd “dummies” simply aren’t on his wavelength.
Ronaldo was surprisingly relegated to the bench on Tuesday night for Man Utd’s clash with Burnley. United looked rejuvenated in the early going, and could’ve been three goals up if not for seeing two goals controversially chalked off.
Paul Pogba did put the visitors in front at Turf Moor. However, they failed to press home their advantage after the break and were quickly pegged back by Jay Rodriguez.
That prompted Ronaldo’s introduction with 25 minutes to play. But try as he might, the Portuguese could not swing the tie in United’s favour with Burnley holding firm to secure to 1-1 draw.
Now, talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders has taken aim at United pair Fred and Scott McTominay in the aftermath.
The duo have been United’s go-to midfield pairing under both Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. That’s despite persistent criticism from pundits and fans alike who believe the combination isn’t of a high enough standard.
It was Pogba alongside McTominay against the Clarets, though that hasn’t stopped Saunders labelling McTominay and Fred as two of the worst midfielders Ronaldo will have played alongside in his storied career.
Ronaldo is “playing with a few dummies”
“At one point they should’ve been 3-0 up, they were running away with it,” said Saunders (via the Daily Mail).
“Then the minute they get a bit of adversity they seem to go backwards and crumble.
“If you asked Ronaldo, ‘Who’s the worst midfield players you’ve ever played with in your career?’ Fred and [Scott] McTominay won’t be far off.

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“People are starting to point the finger at Ronaldo, but he’s playing with a few dummies. Some of them are not on the same wavelength as him.
“Every time the ball was shifted around the box and they were piling the pressure on Burnley the ball was going to a really good player, to Pogba, to Rashford, to Lingard, Ronaldo, they’ve got ammunition.
“They’ve got a bang-average back four and no engine room in the middle of the pitch. The players they’ve got in there are not up to the standard.”
Speculation has begun to swirl regarding Ronaldo’s future at Old Trafford. The club looks odds on to go trophy-less this season, and Real Madrid have emerged as a contender to spring a surprise reunion in the summer.
Man Utd make final demand in imminent transfer
Meanwhile, Manchester United have asked for 25 per cent of any future transfer fee for Andreas Pereira, as the Brazilian’s move to Flamengo finally looks set to go through.
United officials are said to be sorting out the final details for the permanent transfer of the 26-year-old midfielder.
Brazilian journalist Vene Casagrande, speaking on SBT, via Sport Witness, claims the clubs are currently “exchanging documents” with the deal set to be official very soon.
Pereira, who was born in Belgium, was loaned to Flamengo until the summer. Flamengo had a buying option as part of the deal set at €20m. But despite his success for the club they were unwilling to pay that sum for the player.
ESPN report that Flamengo had a £6.7m offer for Pereira rejected in January. But they returned to the negotiating table and Casagrande says the move is being done for around £8.85m.
Flamengo are keen to get a deal done for a player who scored four goals in 75 appearances for United. United though are “demanding 25 per cent of a future move” to get Pereira out of the club.
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