"Absolutely abysmal!"- Piers Morgan says Manchester United would be in a relegation battle without Cristiano Ronaldo

English TV personality Piers Morgan has claimed that Manchester United would be fighting against relegation had they been without Cristiano Ronaldo this season.

The Red Devils were without the services of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner during their 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool on Tuesday due to the death of his newborn son.

Manchester United went into their game against Liverpool on the back of just two wins against Tottenham and Norwich in their last five Premier League games. Ronaldo scored sensational hat-tricks in both victories.

United struggled against Jurgen Klopp's side in the absence of their star forward. They were unable to create goalscoring opportunities and test Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

The 37-year-old has received heavy criticism for his lack of work rate and impact in the big games. His goals have, however, helped keep Rangnick's side in the hunt for a place in the top-four of the Premier League.

Morgan believes the club would be at risk of being relegated were it not for Cristiano Ronaldo's performances.

"Manchester United without Ronaldo this season would facing a relegation battle. Absolute abysmal performance," said Piers Morgan on Twitter in the aftermath of the Red Devils' loss to Liverpool.

Here's Morgan's tweet:

Ronaldo joined United from Juventus in a deal worth £13 million last summer. The 37-year-old was expected to lead the club to their first Premier League title in nearly a decade.

The club have endured a dismal campaign and are currently languishing in sixth place in the league table. The Portuguese star does, however, possess impressive goalscoring numbers. He has scored 21 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions for United this season.

Manchester United need to sign a world-class striker this summer to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo

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Manchester United have been heavily dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring abilities this season. Bruno Fernandes is the club's second highest goalscorer with just nine goals in all competitions.

The former Real Madrid forward has shown signs of slowing down and is approaching the latter stages of his career. The Red Devils must sign a world-class striker to share the goalscoring responsibilities and replace Cristiano Ronaldo as the club's talisman next season.

According to Metro, the Premier League giants have identified Benfica star Darwin Nunez as their top transfer target. The 22-year-old has scored 33 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions this season, and is widely expected to make the move to one of Europe's top clubs this summer.