Cristiano Ronaldo "ego" issue leaves Ralf Rangnick with fresh Man Utd headache

Ralf Rangnick is facing a serious challenge to convince Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the high-pressing style he wants to implement.

That's the view of former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, who thinks Manchester United could fare better by dropping the talismanic forward.

Ronaldo has 14 goals since returning from Juventus and almost single-handedly ensured they reached the knockout stages of the Champions League.

But his all-round play has been questioned, with United appearing a less cohesive unit than the one he joined at the start of the season.

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United's disjointed performances and inconsistent results have already cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job, with Rangnick now already under pressure.

The German tactician, who was given the role of manager on an interim basis, lost his first game in charge on Monday, as United were dominated by Wolves at Old Trafford.

Known as 'the Godfather of Gegenpressing', Rangnick clearly wants to adopt an approach that would see United press from the front, something that doesn't fit naturally alongside Ronaldo's normal game.

And Sutton believes that Ronaldo's "ego" may make it difficult for Rangnick to get his star striker completely on board.

" Cristiano Ronaldo remains a fascinating topic," Sutton wrote in his Mail Sport column. "I've said since the start of the season, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, that he isn't someone who presses for 90 minutes.

"He prefers to save his energy for the big moments, so it isn't easy for managers like Rangnick to convince someone with his ego to play his way.

"Now and then we will see Ronaldo go hunting after the ball, and United's fans will cheer him for it, but it's in flashes.

"After 19 games last season, United were top on 40 points. Now they're seventh on 31, despite signing Ronaldo, Sancho and Raphael Varane.

"Rangnick needs to consider what is best for the team. If that is using someone else up top instead of Ronaldo, so be it."

Mirror Football exclusively revealed that Rangnick is facing a growing revolt from players regarding his leadership, with many already questioning his methods.

Following the defeat to Wolves, Luke Shaw offered a damning reflection on the current state of affairs at United, claiming some of his team-mates weren't fully invested in what they were trying to do.

"We really struggled, we couldn't get hold of the ball and when we didn't have the ball we weren't aggressive enough," the left-back told Sky Sports.

"We didn't put them under any pressure. We have to put more pressure on them, we have to have intensity. I didn't think we were all there together.

"You look at the players we have, we have unbelievable quality, but sometimes quality is not enough. We need to bring the intensity and more motivation."