"Manchester United are a better team without Cristiano Ronaldo" - Paul Merson claims United don't have counter-attacking pace anymore

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson strongly believes Manchester United would be a better side without Cristiano Ronaldo in the XI.

As per Merson, Manchester United have struggled to adopt a counter-attacking style of play away from home as Cristiano Ronaldo does not offer any pace up front.

Speaking on Soccer Saturday (via the Manchester Evening News), Paul Merson said:

"I personally think Man Utd are a better football team without Cristiano Ronaldo. They had a good unbeaten run last year by playing a certain way - counter-attacking football. You don't get that with Ronaldo. That's gone now. They don't have that pace anymore."

Paul Merson has also claimed there is no guarantee that Manchester United will have a successful season with Cristiano Ronaldo in their team. He added:

"What's the point in having a 20-goal a season striker if you don't win anything? It's like Harry Kane at Spurs. Having a striker scoring that many goals doesn't guarantee you a top-four spot."

Manchester United are going through one of their roughest patches in recent seasons. The Red Devils suffered back-to-back home defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City, by margins of 5-0 and 2-0 respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make a positive impact on any of the aforementioned defeats. Many have even started to question the former Real Madrid star's role at Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has turned up in crucial Champions League matches for Manchester United

Despite recent criticism, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored some important goals for Manchester United since his move from Juventus earlier this summer.

The 36-year-old forward has been quite effective for Manchester United in the Champions League. He scored late winners against Atalanta and Villarreal and then a late equalizer against the former in the reverse tie.

As things stand, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored nine goals in 12 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star also played a vital role in helping Manchester United end their winless run by putting in a great display against Tottenham Hotspur. Cristiano Ronaldo scored once and assisted another to guide the Red Devils to a 3-0 win over Spurs a couple of weeks ago.

Manchester United, however, are struggling to find consistency. They are currently sixth in the Premier League behind the likes of West Ham and Arsenal.

Manchester United have a difficult run of games in November. Solskjaer's men will face Watford, Chelsea and Arsenal in the league over the coming weeks.