On September 11, Cristiano Ronaldo reawakened Old Trafford, and on Saturday, he seemed to smash a 14-year-phone old's out of his hand at Goodison Park.

Ronaldo has now apologized, but there's no excuse for his reaction, regardless of his pain. But his life has been spent not merely in the spotlight but often soliciting it – he should be used to camera phones by now

The incident is being investigated by the authorities, and the forward's obstinacy may possibly define United's season, though there is stiff competition.

Soap operas, not football video games, should house any future season review DVDs of Manchester United's current annus horribilis. United's season has been a complete and utter disaster, but the team has been the main opponent of its own demise.

It didn't appear like being that way when Ronaldo went back out at Old Trafford in September, scoring twice against Newcastle on his second coming. The possibilities were endless back then.

That's not going to happen right now. As desperate a season as United have ever experienced, it doesn't matter whether Ronaldo is viewed as the least of their concerns; he is still a problem.

Maybe the frustration he showed on Saturday was due to the late chance he blew, shooting a shot straight at Jordan Pickford from 12 yards out. That was his only sight of goal and one of the few instances you'd even have recognized he was on the pitch.

The 18 goals he scored in 33 games is a respectable return, but it falls short of the metronomic standards he achieved with Juventus in recent years. During 13 games in 2022, only four goals have been scored by United. In 11 of those games, United has not scored at all. United had high hopes for one of the highest-paid players in the world, but this isn't what they got.

A goal a game is no longer a given, and Ronaldo appears to be struggling to keep up with the faster tempo of the Premier League after previously playing in La Liga and Serie A. That won't get any easier next season.

In the event that he remains with the team next year. Despite the fact that Ronaldo still has a year left on his contract, the Red Devils are in the market for a younger striker this summer.

He moved to a club that had just finished second in the Premier League and looked like it was going to be better soon. That turned out to be a ruse, and things are now in a state of complete chaos.

Ronaldo will not be able to win another league title with United while he is still there. Old Trafford will have to accept an absence from the Champions League and potentially the Europa Conference League in order for him to remain at the club.

When this season began, it wasn't in the plot. Even if Cristiano Ronaldo decides to leave Real Madrid in 2022/23, he will know that his time on the world stage is running away, therefore he will not be eager to take a year in a European league that no one cares about.

When he returned to the club last year, Ronaldo spelled forth his own objectives. Manchester United's star midfielder declared: "I want to carry on again. I want to make history. I want to assist Manchester United achieve amazing outcomes.

Although winning the Europa Conference League would be a "wonderful thing" for Ronaldo, United are currently making history for all the wrong reasons. If Erik ten Hag believes conditions at Old Trafford are to his liking, then one of his first chats might be with Cristiano Ronaldo. Whether that's enough to get the leading goalscorer in men's professional football itchy feet this summer remains to be seen.

The union will only function if both the manager and the player are fully committed to it. Cutting ties may be the best course of action if there is any uncertainty on either side.

Ronaldo's problem will not be a distraction for Manchester United as they prepare for the new season. People didn't expect it to go so horribly wrong so quickly.