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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City
Ryan Smart
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City
Manchester United are top of the Premier League form table since Cristiano Ronaldo played his last game for the club before the World Cup.
Ronaldo left United by mutual agreement, weeks after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised several key figures at the club.
They included manager Erik ten Hag who, according to ESPN via sources, told United chiefs that he did not want Ronaldo to play for the club again.
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The Portugal legend joined United in the summer of 2021 for a highly-anticipated second spell at Old Trafford, with his return seen as a homecoming for a player who established himself as one of the best footballers on the planet during his first stint at the club.
He smashed in 18 Premier League goals last season. A further six strikes in the Champions League meant United qualified for the knockout stages by topping their group.
But this season saw him struggle to recapture that form, and he scored just three goals in 18 appearances in all competitions prior to his exit.
When Ronaldo left Old Trafford, Ten Hag's side were fifth in the Premier League table, having collected 26 points from their opening 14 games.
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But the league's latest form table shows just how far United have come in recent months.
United have picked up 23 points in 10 games since Ronaldo's last game, a 3-1 away defeat at Aston Villa, with seven wins and two draws since then. Their only loss against Arsenal last month, when they were defeated 3-2 by the league leaders at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite that scoreline, Ten Hag's side have still got more points than any other team in the division since Ronaldo's final appearance for the club the club, as per a table published by TWTD.
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They have played two games more in that period than both Brentford (18) and Arsenal (17), who are in second and third place respectively.
Marcus Rashford has hit top form since the conclusion of the World Cup, with Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez among those to put in consistently high level performances.
United have also progressed to the Carabao Cup final, and take on Newcastle at Wembley on February 26.
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The Magpies (14 points, eight games) are seventh in the form table, with Brighton (14, eight games), Manchester City and Fulham (both 16, nine games) ahead of them. Liverpool, meanwhile, are 11th, having collected 13 points from eight games, with Chelsea (10, nine games) in 14th place.
The bottom three positions are occupied by Leeds (four points, nine games), Everton (four points, eight games) and Southampton (three points, eight games). Leeds are the only Premier League to fail to win a game since the World Cup, and they sacked manager Jesse Marsch last week.