Cristiano Ronaldo has given Erik ten Hag his Manchester United blueprint with Arsenal performance

First it was Ralf Rangnick that was going to end Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United career, now it is Erik ten Hag.

The appointment of the godfather of gegenpressing at the start of December was supposed to signal bad news for Ronaldo, but the desire to write off the most productive goalscorer in professional football overlooks his capacity for reinvention.

Ronaldo produced one of his best performances of this season with Rangnick in the stands when United beat Arsenal at Old Trafford and days after the appointment of Erik ten Hag was confirmed he was in fine form against the Gunners once again.

READ MORE: Ten Hag has a coaching priority after Arsenal defeat

The 37-year-old’s impact as a goalscorer has rarely been in doubt this season but simply sticking the ball in the back of the net isn’t always enough for the appetites of modern coaches.

That was why Rangnick’s devotion to a high press was supposed to signal bad news for Ronaldo, just as Ten Hag’s desire to implement a fast, energetic, pressing game at Old Trafford is also going to be the end for the striker.

But after a traumatic week which must have brought unimaginable pain to Ronaldo and his family, he produced a performance that would have surely met with Ten Hag’s approval.

The narrative that the Dutchman would end Ronaldo’s second United spell didn’t particularly stack up anyway, given he has played with a 6ft 3ins centre forward at Ajax this season, but Ronaldo showed he is far more than just a goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium.

Granted, he took the goal he scored in the first half quite brilliantly and also found the back of the net with a sweetly-struck volley after the break, albeit from an offside position.

But he offered much more than that.