"He will need to produce more" - Dimitar Berbatov says Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo 'knows what he is doing'

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United last summer from Juventus. The return was met with a lot of excitement and a lot of expectations as well. However, it has been an underwhelming season so far by the lofty standards of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

He is United's top scorer this season with 15 goals in all competitions but understandably fans expect more. He has started 2022 miserably, scoring just once so far. Hence, the Portuguese has been criticized by fans and pundits alike.

However, Ronaldo's former teammate Dimitar Berbatov has come out in his defense. Speaking to Betfair, per Evening Standard, he said:

“Everything that he has achieved in football isn’t because of luck, he knows what he is doing, and he will know that he will need to produce more at the moment and trust me, that will drive him forward. People need to get off his back and let him get on with it.”

There is no denying that Ronaldo is going through a tough spell, a rare one in his career. Manchester United and their fans will hope he comes out of this soon in their push for the top-four in the Premier League.

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A tough March for Ronaldo with Manchester United and Portugal

If there was ever a time for the Portuguese to return to form, it is now. March could be a make-or-break month at both club and international level for him.

Manchester United currently sit in fourth position in the Premier League. However, Arsenal are just two points behind them with three games in hand with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur also on their heels. They managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg of R16 in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid last week at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

March will bring in a slew of tough fixtures for the Red Devils. United start off against Manchester City on Sunday followed by Spurs the following weekend. They then face Atletico in the second leg of the Champions League and return to the Premier League to face Liverpool.

However, Ronaldo's big month doesn't end there. He will face Turkey with Portugal on March 24 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. If they win against the Turkish side, they will face Italy or North Macedonia in a bid to make it to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

As evident, it is going to be a big month for the Portuguese superstar.