For Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo the end may finally be in sight

The greatest scorer in football history has now gone five games without a goal and may have lost his manager's faith as his side prepare to take on Southampton in the Premier League

Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced as a second-half substitute against Burnley. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo can seem the footballer who stopped time, whether with his chiselled physique or the goalscoring returns of a forward years his junior.

When he and Aaron Lennon took the field at Turf Moor on Tuesday, it was a meeting of players who first clashed in the Premier League in 2003. Yet in a tale of remarkable longevity, perhaps the more pertinent part is that the 37-year-old came on as a substitute at Burnley.

It could be explained by the fact Ronaldo played 120 minutes against Middlesbrough on Friday. It nonetheless felt another chastening occasion in the supposed happy homecoming that has often left Ronaldo scowling.

The serial Champions League winner took Manchester United through the group stages almost single-handedly. Take away two late winners and an injury-time equaliser and they may have beaten an ignominious exit.

But Ronaldo is accustomed to winning the Champions League, not struggling to qualify for it. United can return to the top four by beating Southampton on Saturday, but the most prolific goalscorer in football history has no experience of finishing fifth or sixth, let alone seventh.

Man United v Middlesbrough player ratings

MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: Dean Henderson – 6. Little to do in a first half where United had 70 per cent possession and 12 shots to Boro’s one. Then a super right-handed save from Crooks on 55 in a far more open, hectic, entertaining, cup game. Another key save on 115 from Connolly. Nearly got to second penalty of shootout. No saves from eight in the shootout. Reuters

Diogo Dalot – 7. In his best moment as a United player since moving to Old Trafford in 2018. Got forward beyond his man, made key passes and had an incredible 150 touches. Make that 151 with his penalty. AP

Harry Maguire – 7. Cut out a rare serious Boro attack on 32. Ball sailed over his head before Boro’s equaliser. Booed for passing the ball back to his goalkeeper in 119th minute. Took second penalty. Buried it in the corner. Getty

Raphael Varane – 7. Comfortable and unflappable against Boro’s attack in the first half when he won everything in the air. Less assured in the second – what was he doing for Boro’s equaliser? AFP

Luke Shaw – 7. Back after an absence and set up Ronaldo’s overhead kick after five mins, then played the ball to Ronaldo which led to the penalty. Efficient in the air against the taller Sporar. Beautiful ball to Sancho on 52. Nowhere for Boro’s equaliser but continued to push forward and attack and touched the ball more than any player on the pitch – 154 times. Tired in extra time. AFP

Scott McTominay – 6. Strong alongside Pogba in the first half, less so in the second as Boro grew stronger in the middle. Took the sixth penalty of the shootout. Scored. PA

Paul Pogba – 7. First game back after injury and straight into the side. Grew into the game. Brought down for an 18th minute penalty. Won the ball back which led to United’s opener. Tried to win it back again in a 41st minute challenge and was booked. Reuters

Jadon Sancho – 7. Hit the crossbar in the first minute, then scored the opener after 25, cutting in from the left and hitting the ball with his left foot. Set up Rashford on 52. Got behind his man, combined well with those around him and looked confident. Encouraging – less so when he asked to come off. AP

Bruno Fernandes – 8. Followed up Sancho’s first minute strike against the crossbar in vain. Hit a long ball to Sancho to set up the opener. Broke from his own half to set up Ronaldo on 28, then Ronaldo a minute later and again on 32 in an excellent first half. Stole the ball on 71…and hit the post when he should have scored. Hit a weak shot wide on 76. Took fifth penalty of shootout. Scored. PA

Marcus Rashford – 6. Chased hard in the first half on the right. Mishit a pass out of play, blasted a 39th minute shot over and a 40th minute one at Lumley. A goal was offside. More of the same in the second half. Couldn’t fault the effort, but the end product was lacking. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo – 6. Overhead kick on five hit the target, unlike his 18th minute penalty which went wide. Smashed ball into side netting on 53. Ten shots in total. The player with the next most shots was Rashford with six. Took the fourth penalty in shoot out. Buried it. Reuters

SUBS: Fred – 7. (Pogba 81'). Neat and made a difference. Crossed to Elanga on 92 and shot well wide from the edge of the area on 105. Took the third penalty. Scored as he always does in shootouts. AFP

Anthony Elanga – 5. (Rashford 81’). His best chance came when Fred set him up to head on target. Hit United’s eighth penalty over and Manchester United went out of the FA Cup. AFP

Phil Jones – 6. (Varane 91’). Poor challenge to concede a 110th minute free-kick. AFP

Juan Mata – 6 (Sancho 100’). Took the first penalty. Scored. Reuters

MIDDLESBROUGH PLAYER RATINGS: Joe Lumley – 6. Got away with an early mix-up, gifting Fernandes the ball and letting Rashford’s shot go through his arms. He’ll claim his mind games worked against Ronaldo for the penalty miss. A deflected shot went through his arms for the goal. Made some vital saves in extra time, tipping McTominay’s header over. Came closing to saving several penalties in the shootout. AFP

Isaiah Jones – 6. Unlucky to see Sancho’s shot flick off his boot and into the net. Had a calamitous moment where he took out his own man, then couldn’t make the most of a good opening after nice Middlesbrough play. Played a brilliant ball to Watmore for the equaliser. AFP

Anfernee Dijksteel – 5. Unfortunate to take out Pogba for a penalty, but there was also a real lack of awareness shown on his part. Wasn’t afraid to carry the ball forward, although that did lead to some uncomfortable moments. AFP

Dael Fry – 8. Got in Lumley’s way for the early mix-up but recovered to block Ronaldo’s shot and deal with balls behind the defence well. Made plenty of important interventions and came out on top in various 50/50 situations. Held Ronaldo up superbly when he threatened to get through in extra time. Whipped his penalty into the side netting with aplomb. Getty Images

Paddy McNair – 6. Middlesbrough’s defensive line was awful at times in the first half, and McNair’s positioning was terrible for the opener. He also failed to think quickly enough on various occasions in the first half. Showed improvements after half time and rose brilliantly to knock the ball down for Connolly late on. Sent Henderson the wrong way with his penalty. Getty Images

Neil Taylor – 5. Lucky Fernandes missed after playing him onside while standing miles behind the rest of his defensive teammates. He often wanted too long on the ball in the first half. Struggled to keep up with United’s attackers but was resilient. AFP

Matt Crooks – 7. Looked off the pace in the early stages but grew into the game and made some brilliant defensive interventions. Saw a shot saved well by Henderson, then got on the scoresheet after getting into the box well a few times. Getty Images

Jonny Howson – 6. Played a nice ball through to Balogun and showed intelligence to nip in and steal the ball away at times. However, there were occasions where he struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. Lucky to see Fernandes hit the post after being beaten to the ball. Confidently converted his penalty. PA

Marcus Tavernier – 8. Put in plenty of good defensive work and used the ball well when he had it. Pickpocketed Pogba in the incident that led to the Frenchman’s yellow card and cut the hosts open to create Crooks’ chance. Booked for pulling back Pogba. Made a brilliant tackle to deny Fernandes and a vital header in the final seconds. Emphatically sent his penalty into the top corner. Getty Images

Andraz Sporar – 5. Looked weak and ineffective for large periods of the first half. Seemed to grow in confidence during the second period and was unlucky to be denied by Maguire. Sent a wild shot harmlessly wide in the 90th minute. Getty Images

Folarin Balogun – 5. Showed plenty of willing but was guilty of trying to do too much with the ball at times – though he didn’t get much service. Hit his shot over the crossbar from a promising position and couldn’t quite find Tavernier in the box. AP

SUBS: Duncan Watmore (Balogun, 62’) – 7. Set up Crooks for the equaliser despite controversy around the ball hitting his hand. Showed plenty of energy and completely changed the game, fizzing a ball to the back post that couldn’t find Connolly. Converted his penalty brilliantly at the start of sudden death. Getty Images

Martin Payero (Crooks, 78’) – 6. Showed discipline after coming off the bench and had some good touches. Made a great burst forward that resulted in Watmore’s ball flashing past the post. His penalty crept under Henderson. Getty Images

Aaron Connolly (Sporar, FT) – 5. Gave the ball away cheaply moments after coming on then wasn’t able to get on the end of Watmore’s ball to the back post. Was busy and used his body well at times but was left frustrated when his flick was saved (no match photo available). Getty Images

Lee Peltier (Taylor, FT) – 6. Put in a disciplined display and was combative when required. Sent an unstoppable penalty just under the crossbar. Reuters

Sol Bamba (Jones, 118’) – N/R. Came on due to Jones getting injured and helped to ensure the game went to penalties, then smashed his spot kick into the bottom corner with nerves of steel. Getty Images

The idea that all United needed to become champions again was an elite striker has proved very misguided. Ronaldo’s two-goal second debut, a double against Newcastle United at a euphoric Old Trafford, has looked a false dawn.

His fame has made him a lightning rod. He was signed for his stardust when there was a greater need for a central midfielder.

He was not the prime reason Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United descended into a shambles but the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool was the joint heaviest of his career, and a petulant Ronaldo could have been sent off for a hack at Curtis Jones.

Leicester, Manchester City, Watford: his season has contained a series of embarrassments. His expression has often been a barometer of United’s problems.

Amid talk of a pressing revolution, the man who defied time tried to appear a contemporary figure. He made 27 presses against Arsenal, with the godfather of "gegenpress", Ralf Rangnick, watching and waiting to take charge. Yet the German bluntly conceded that after the loss to Wolves that there was no pressing.

Meanwhile, the notion Ronaldo’s return would spur United’s next generation of forwards to reach another level, if not his, has failed to materialise.

None has benefited so far. When Ronaldo was unhappy to be substituted against Brentford, Rangnick confirmed: “He was asking, ‘why not one of the younger players?’”

Ronaldo has got this far by putting himself first. His selfishness has benefited his teams. His efforts could be measured in goals, but now they have dried up. Ronaldo has been barren in 2022. He has gone five games without a goal in a season for the first time since 2008/09.

Burnley v Man United ratings

BURNLEY PLAYER RATINGS: Nick Pope, 8 – The highlight of the day for Burnley as their number one came up with some absolutely huge saves. Getty Images

Connor Roberts, 6 – First half: chasing shadows, played a role in the goal. Second half: some fantastic runs down the wing, constantly falling short with his delivery. PA

James Tarkowski, 8 – Poor footwork in the early stages was eradicated by full time after a captain-like, leading from the back display. PA

Ben Mee, 8 – After a ruled out own goal, Ben Mee came into his own and served as a literal brick wall with some tremendous blocks and clearances. Getty Images

Erik Pieters, 5 – An on and off type of performance with half of his crosses being ambitious and the other half being outright bad. AFP

Dwight McNeil, 6 – Despite an array of positive, forward-thinking runs, McNeil fell short when it mattered most - the final ball. Getty Images

Ashley Westwood, 5 – Was consistent in the sense that he had a largely unremarkable game from the first minute until the last. AFP

Josh Brownhill, 7 – Looked eager throughout, constantly got stuck in and made the challenges nobody else would. Getty Images

Maxwel Cornet, 4 – Couldn’t find a pass all night and looked incredibly lethargic before eventually hobbling off. AFP

Jay Rodriguez, 7 – Lacked a killer edge for long spells but ultimately, his biggest moment came with a stunning piece of skill to equalise for the Clarets. Getty Images

Wout Weghorst, 8 – The man mountain himself produced a great assist, constantly fought for the ball and looked confident in front of goal. Getty Images

SUBS: Aaron Lennon (Cornet 69'), 6 – Couldn’t really get into a great rhythm but did help to carry the ball into United’s half, on occasion. Getty Images

Ashley Barnes (Barnes 88'), N/A – Helped to get his foot on the ball and get stuck in when Burnley needed it. PA

MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: David De Gea – 7. The Spaniard’s side had 12 shots in the first half, yet he didn’t face one from Burnley until the goal after 47 minutes. Dived to save from Weghorst’s volley on 52. AFP

Diogo Dalot – 6. Did nothing wrong as he builds up more minutes as United’s first choice right back. After an hour he’d had more touches than any player on the pitch. Less of an influence in the final third of the game. Getty Images

Raphael Varane – 7. Looked delighted to have scored his first Manchester United goal – only to be denied by VAR. His manager was furious it wasn’t given. The only defender to wear gloves, but better than those around him. AP

Harry Maguire – 5. Interfering with play caused Varane’s 12th minute header to be disallowed, yet he was pushed before he was offside. Couldn’t catch Rodriguez for Burnley’s equaliser, then gave a clumsy foul away for a Burnley free-kick. Booked. Not his best night. Getty Images

Luke Shaw – 6. Crossed for Pogba to put United ahead. Crossed time and again – set Cavani up on 34. AFP

Scott McTominay – 6. Held the midfield well and brought the ball forward in a physical match played in very challenging conditions. Came off with ten minutes to play as United went for a winner. Getty Images

Paul Pogba – 7. Started a second successive game and put United ahead on 18, side-footing a Shaw cross high into the goal. Then was adjudged to have made a foul, ruling out another United goal despite no Burnley player appealing. Odd decision. United fans will have mixed feelings seeing Pogba play so well, since they sense he’s leaving. AP

Marcus Rashford – 6. Involved in build up to the opening goal. Hard shot on target after 41. Ran down the left and set up Varane on 78. Bright in moments, ineffective in others. AP

Bruno Fernandes – 7. The loud United fans sang his name. Got back to break up Burnley’s best first half attack, but his main influence was pulling the strings around United’s excellent attack in the first half, but quieter in the second. PA

Jadon Sancho – 8. Saw a lot of the ball in the opening minutes. Dribbled forward and set up Rashford before half time. One of his best performances in red and the type expected when he signed from Dortmund. AFP

Edinson Cavani – 6. As driven as the rain, he ran hard and linked with those around him, but should have scored when set up by Shaw. Looked floored when he came off. AP

SUBS: Cristiano Ronaldo (Cavani 67’) – 5. Headed over on 78 and again on 90. Getty Images

Jesse Lingard (McTominay 80’) – NA. Reuters

Anthony Elanga (Rashford 84’) – NA. Another attacking option for a United side who really should have taken three points. Getty Images

His record has deteriorated under Rangnick. The defining moment of his spell under the German may have been the missed penalty against Middlesbrough. He scored a spot kick at Norwich City.

Yet his goal at home to Burnley is his lone strike in open play in 753 minutes under Rangnick. It explains why he was benched for the first time by him this week.

The game against Southampton may show if it was a one-off or the biggest decision of the interim manager’s reign.

Edinson Cavani can hassle and harry defenders, even if it is an indication of the Uruguayan’s veteran status that Jamie Vardy, Ronaldo and him are the only three strikers aged 33 or more to score in the Premier League this season.

Early predictions Rangnick would drop Ronaldo were wrong, but now the question is whether he has lost the manager’s faith for now. Another is whether a rare drought is a slip or a sign of decline.