The Cristiano Ronaldo truth Manchester United must accept to get better

When Cristiano Ronaldo attempted a volley against Norwich at Carrow Road in December, he completely miscalculated the ball's trajectory and swiped aimlessly in the air instead. Norwich fans reacted to that moment with loud and ironic cheers.

Manchester United supporters hit back with chants of 'you've only come to see Ronaldo'. United looked devoid of quality throughout most of that match in December, but when Ronaldo was brought down in Norwich's area late in the second half, he duly obliged from the spot to score against penalty-saving specialist Tim Krul. Ronaldo had delivered yet again when it mattered most.

That match-winning strike at Norwich was Ronaldo's 13th goal of the season in his 19th appearance across all competitions. United's decision to sign Ronaldo was questioned in the summer — Manchester City's interest played a major role in the deal — but Ronaldo had silenced the doubters up until that Norwich game. His goals had single-handedly kept United in the Champions League in the autumn.

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Ronaldo's game had naturally evolved since he last played in Manchester, but here he was, scoring goals for United again. It was hard for pundits to criticise Ronaldo when he was providing United with important goals.

However, there have now been 81 days since United beat Norwich and Ronaldo has struggled throughout that period. The Portuguese captain has redefined what it means to be a goal scorer during his career and he's somehow looked exempt from the effects of ageing. That's suddenly changed over the past few months.

Ronaldo turned 37 at the start of February and the signs that age is catching up to him have now appeared. Ronaldo has scored