Ronaldo makes a mockery of Man Utd flops Di Maria and Sanchez

Five-time Ballon D'or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is just two Premier League games into his Manchester United return.

But the No.7 has already equalled the amount of league goals scored by both Alexis Sanchez and Angel Di Maria when they wore the famous shirt.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus forward notched twice on his second United debut last weekend as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side ran out 4-1 winners at home to Newcastle, Ronaldo's goals coming either side of the Magpies equaliser.

He then followed that up by scoring another in the 2-1 away victory over David Moyes'West Ham, his close-range effort coming at a crucial time - just minutes after the Hammers had taken the lead.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet again in United's 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday ( Image:

Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

The instant success the United faithful are seeing from Ronaldo is a far cry from the kind of performances they witnessed from both Sanchez and Di Maria when previously wearing the iconic No.7 shirt.

Sanchez burned bridges to join United after calling time on his stay with the Red Devils fierce Premier League rivals Arsenal.

The Chile international enjoyed stunning success at the Emirates, establishing himself as one of the most lethal forwards in the League.

His Old Trafford stint would last just 18 months before he was eventually deemed surplus to requirements and shipped out on loan to Serie A outfit Inter Milan.

Over the course of his year and a half in Manchester, Sanchez would make just 32 Premier League appearances - scoring three times.

Former Real Madrid and current Paris Saint-Germain star Di Maria hardly fared any better, the Argentine arriving in the summer of 2014 for a then-club record fee of £59.7million but lasted just one season.

In his solitary season at the club, Di Maria found the net on three occasions, featuring 27 times.

While he failed to hit the heights he did at the Santiago Bernabeu, Di Maria's stunning chip against Leicester lives long in the memory of all who witnessed the best of his three Man Utd goals.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who is Man Utd's best ever number 7? Comment below.

Alexis Sanchez failed to live up to expectations during his 18-month stay at Man Utd ( Image:

PA Archive/PA Images)

It clearly takes superstar-level talent to enjoy the weight of the number 7 shirt at Old Trafford, with both Sanchez and Di Maria falling spectacularly short of the heights Ronaldo achieved in his first stint.

Both Michael Owen and Barca star Memphis Depay were also entrusted with the 7 shirt and failed to live up to expectations.

Ronaldo's affinity with the number 7 shirt is so strong he actually requested to take it off of Edinson Cavani, who donned the jersey prior to the Portugal captain's arrival.