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
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
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.
