Ronaldo pulls ahead of Solskjær in Man United goal chart

The hits just keep on coming for Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the Norwegian footballing icon separated from Manchester United earlier this season, with summer signing Cristiano Ronaldo now officially passing him on the Red Devils’ all-time Premier League goalscoring list.

Ronaldo bagged his 92nd goal for United in the top flight of English football during the first-half against relegation-threatened Burnley at Old Trafford, putting Ralf Rangnick’s outfit 3-0 up before Aaron Lennon pegged one back seven minutes from the break.

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored more Premier League goals (92) than Ole Gunnar Solkskjær (91).

Closing in on that century. pic.twitter.com/sBgUrZIsZ9

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 30, 2021

Portugal’s greatest-ever goalscorer tapped in from six yards after Scott McTominay hit the post from outside the box, hitting his eighth of the 2021-22 league campaign but still sitting far off the top-ten in goals for United with club legend Paul Scholes‘ 107-goals likely out of reach until next term.

But Cristiano Ronaldo‘s legacy at United is hardly in danger as he remains the only Red Devil to ever earn both the European Golden Shoe and World Footballer of the Year while in club colors, achieving both during a stellar 2008 campaign in which he also earned the first of five Ballon d’Or’s.

Are the Red Devils finally purring under Ralf Rangnick?

Three wins out of four for Manchester United since the arrival of German tactician Ralf Rangnick paints a picture of a Red Devils outfit hitting the ground running under their new – if not only temporary – boss at Old Trafford. But the three goals against Burnley (in a match still underway at the time of writing) is the first time the club has scored more than a single goal since Rangnick has taken charge.

Two narrow 1-0 wins against Crystal Palace and Norwich bagged the points in unconvincing fashion and their recent 1-1 draw against Newcastle United was an outright disappointment. However, immediate scintillating football under Rangnick was never going to be on offer as the German headmaster is embarking on instituting change at the club on and off the pitch and not just through a tactical medium.

Still, with the level of talent and quality on offer in the United first-team, more can and should be expected from the Red Devils faithful after the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho were added in the summer to an already talented forward line; at least on paper.

Whether or not this is the start of better performances in the final third remains to be seen, but certainly, Manchester United should be far more capable of logging more credible goal returns as the season progresses.