Manchester United may already be planning for life without Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese striker made it clear he wants to leave Old Trafford, but Erik ten Hag could sign an upgrade in Robert Lewandowski.
ESPN reporter Mark Ogden has suggested that Ronaldo’s time at United is up and that the Red Devils could look to beat Barcelona to the signing of £40.5m-rated Lewandowski as his replacement.
Although the legendary forward was United’s top scorer in all competitions last season, finishing with 24 goals in all competitions, he will turn 38 next season and simply cannot offer the pressing ability that Erik ten Hag will demand of his frontman.
While a 34-year-old Lewandowski is also unlikely to exert too much energy on pressing defenders, the Poland international averaged 9.68 pressures per 90 last season, in comparison to Ronaldo’s 6.54.
The Bayern Munich man also vastly outperformed Ronaldo in his performances in the Bundesliga, as the graphic below emphasises.
While Lewandowski was playing in a significantly better team, in an arguably weaker league, his goal record in recent seasons suggests that he would be a success in the Premier League.
Who is better?
When Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was asked who the best player he had ever coached was last year, he replied Lewandowski, saying:
“What he has made out of his potential, how he pushed himself to become the player he is today, that’s extraordinary.
“He has immersed himself in the game, he just knows in every situation what he has to do, where he has to go. Lewy is an absolute machine.”
With the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Christian Eriksen behind him, Lewandowski would surely be a hit under ten Hag, and would arguably be a better fit than Ronaldo, who clearly feels United is beneath him after the club’s failure to secure Champions League football last season.
The Polish forward’s influence at Bayern Munich has previously been compared to that of Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and if he could lead the line at Old Trafford in a similar manner to his time at the Allianz Arena, he would undoubtedly be an upgrade on the version of Ronaldo we saw at United last season.
