With multiple reports indicating that Cristiano Ronaldo is close to joining Manchester United this summer, let’s take a look at how he might fit in Ole’s starting eleven. Solskjaer has generally stuck to a 4-2-3-1 formation with a double pivot for Fred and McTominay but to accommodate Ronaldo, he might have to choose the 4-3-3 formation. The 4-3-3 formation would allow for a more fluid front three and would put more onus on the midfield three to protect the defence. Solskjaer might have a tough time convincing both Pogba and Bruno to play deeper roles but this might have to be done because of Ronaldo’s reduced work rate and his unwillingness to run the channels.

Manchester United’s 4-3-3 formation with Ronaldo

The biggest problem for Solskjaer would be in the big games where he prefers to sit back and hit teams on the counter. And for this counter-attacking tactic, a Fred + McTominay double pivot has been very vital for United. Undoing this partnership and asking Pogba to play a deeper role might expose United’s defence a lot more that Solskjaer wishes to. But with a Varane+Maguire partnership, he should trust them more to win 1v1 battles against attackers. A 4-2-3-1 formation which Solskjaer favours right now certainly offers more solidity but with the attacking options he has at the moment with the probable addition of Ronaldo, he should certainly opt for a more fluid and attacking formation.

Alternate Formation with Ronaldo for Big games