Ronaldo’s homecoming
As the Premier League resumes after the international break, all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo’s homecoming party at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the Portuguese international set to resume his Manchester United career after 12 years away.
The 36-year-old rejoined United from Juventus in August on a two-year deal and could make his “second debut” as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side host Newcastle United.
While he may have to content himself with a place on the bench, it would surely surprise no-one if United’s No 7 did not steal the limelight with a fairytale return.
Ronaldo joined United as a teenager in 2003 and won eight trophies in six seasons under the watchful eyes of Alex Ferguson, scoring 118 goals along the way. He went on to score a club record 451 times for Real Madrid after leaving United in 2009 and 101 for Juventus.
While the clock is ticking on his magical career, there is no doubt his return to the Premier League has created a buzz.
Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes believes Ronaldo’s winning mentality can rub off on a United squad that has fallen just short of silverware under Solskjaer.
“The enthusiasm will be red hot, everyone knows Cristiano is in the house,” he said.
While the atmosphere at Old Trafford will be electric, the one at Arsenal is likely to be tense.
The Gunners are without a point or a goal in the league this season and a 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City before the international break has left them rock bottom of the table with the pressure intensifying on manager Mikel Arteta.
Should they lose it would be the first time since the 1923-1924 campaign that their opening four league games would have ended in defeat, while they have never gone four at the start of a league season without scoring a goal. Not exactly the statistics expected of a club that spent in excess of £150m in the transfer window, though technical director Edu has urged patience.
“I think you have to see the bigger picture,” the Brazilian told the club’s website. “We signed six players, all the six are under the age of 23 so that is the direction you go to try to consolidate the direction of the squad.”
Promoted Norwich are not in much better shape, though an opening run of fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City was always likely to return zero points.
They will view a trip to The Emirates as a chance to get points on the board and earn a first league victory at Arsenal since they won 4-2 on the opening day of the 1992-1993 season.
While the Gunners have endured a torrid start, their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are the surprise early leaders with maximum points after three 1-0 victories.
Tottenham kick off the weekend’s action at Crystal Palace with Harry Kane seeking to maintain his record in London derbies, having scored 38 goals.
Manchester City face a tricky trip to Leicester City on Saturday when Chelsea host Aston Villa.