Ronaldo struggled against Newcastle.

What a transformation one year may bring about. The homecoming return of Cristiano Ronaldo and the hope that Manchester United would finally be on their way back to the top of the league under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer contributed to the high spirits that were there at Old Trafford the year before when Manchester United played Newcastle.

After a season has passed, it has become clear that the illusion was never real. In addition to the fact that Manchester United were exposed for their terrible season, which resulted in the dismissal of Solskjaer, the conversation around Cristiano has shifted once more from that of him being a problem solver to that of him being another problem in their squad.

It is completely understandable why he desired to leave during the summer transfer window, despite the fact that the timing was not ideal. However, now that he has accepted the fact that he will have to play an additional season in England, he has also had to accept the fact that he is no longer untouchable in the team.

Anthony Martial is the go-to option at center forward, and he has proven himself worthy of the role with his goal production this year. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has appeared to be a shell of his old self, disillusioned with the reality of playing football on Thursday nights and obviously lacking in confidence as a result of this disillusionment.

His performance on Sunday afternoon against Newcastle appeared to encapsulate all that was going on. This player is in the twilight of his career and believes he should be competing at a higher level, but he is unable to provide evidence to support this belief.

There are still instances of excellence and perfection, but at this point in the season, they are more unpredictable than they were earlier in the year, and Ronaldo is no longer providing the same level of goal production that he did earlier in the year.

It is common knowledge that Ronaldo does not find him to be an ideal partner, and it is possible that the Dutch manager does not find him to be an ideal partner too. In what is widely believed to be his final season at Old Trafford, the Portuguese forward has altered his playstyle in order to make the most of an unfavorable circumstance. Unfortunately, this decision has resulted in a decrease in his overall effectiveness.

Ronaldo was guilty of almost trying too hard to get on the ball. He dropped needlessly deep to the halfway line and drifted out wide for a glimpse, such was his craving to be on it at all costs. Rather than lurk inside the box and pounce on any balls that fell his way, Ronaldo was guilty of trying to get on the ball by any means necessary.

If he wants to be as effective as he used to be in front of the net, he needs to get back to the fundamentals and focus on moving into the areas of the goal where he is most dangerous, specifically in the space in the middle of the two goal posts. Even though Ten Hag may have a vision of him fitting into a round hole like a square peg, he still has the ability to compensate for this flaw with his deadly finishing and gluttonous thirst for goals.

Even when he did get a rare chance through the middle, the 37-year-old showed his age by completely misreading the flow of the game and was needlessly called offside when he was standing clearly behind the Newcastle backline. Even when he did get a chance through the middle, he showed his age by completely misreading the flow of the game.

He put the ball in the back of the net before the linesman quickly raised his flag, which put an end to any attempt at his signature celebration and showed signs of rustiness once again when he was flagged offside again in the second half. This time, he was given the offside call after putting the ball in the back of the net.

As a result of his decline, it came as no surprise when Marcus Rashford, who was reportedly feeling "under the weather," replaced him with just under 20 minutes remaining in the game. This was due to the fact that taking a risk by leaving Ronaldo out on the field does not now carry with it the same sense that goals are certain to be scored.

Another dismal performance brings with it new concerns about his appropriateness for this team, but maybe just as important are the ones that are posed of Ten Hag for not playing to his abilities in this game.

Its possible that Ronaldo isn't the kind of mobile striker that the team needs right now, but it doesn't mean they should try to mold him into one anyhow.