Paul Pogba leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo last season, but the Frenchman's assessment of the situation at Manchester United doesn't appear to be entirely accurate knowing what we do now.
At the tail-end of last term, some fans and pundits alike both questioned whether Ronaldo's attitude and tendency to make it very clear when he is annoyed with teammates on the pitch was actually helpful to the cause. By that time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had already been sacked from his role as manager and replaced with interim coach Ralf Rangnick.
Cracks had long already appeared but Ronaldo's temperament was one issue that continued to rear its head with each poor display from United. It wasn't long before Pogba snapped at the relentless questioning of the 37-year-old and stuck up for his teammate.
Speaking after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had netted a hat-trick against Spurs, Pogba said: "He [Ronaldo] has never been a problem. You have the best striker in history in our team, he cannot be a problem. Today the performance from him and all the team was very brilliant.
"Everybody knows Cristiano – there's no need to talk about him. That's what he does. He didn't play in the last game, but he comes back and scores three goals. Everybody's happy."
As nice as Pogba's sentiments are, to state Ronaldo has never been a problem is a claim that looks increasingly unlikely with most passing match-weeks. The France international has since upped sticks and left for Juventus, but Ronaldo remains at Old Trafford - despite his own intentions to force through an exit.
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The former Real Madrid's man strong desire to leave United cast a cloud over much of Erik ten Hag's first summer transfer window as United boss, with relentless reports of Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes trying to flog his client to the highest bidder so long as they played in the Champions League.
Reports of dressing room rifts soon followed while Ronaldo's absence for the entirety of United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia is thought to have caused huge frustration among his teammates who now feel he isn't up to speed with the way Ten Hag wants to play.
That is a theory that is certainly supported by the forward's performances on the pitch. In eight games this season across all competitions, Ronaldo has bagged just one goal - a penalty against Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League group stage.
His manager was full of praise for Ronaldo after he got off the mark this term, with Ten Hag adding: "Ronaldo needed that goal. Many times he came close, but he wanted that so much. We are happy for him and the team wanted to bring him a goal. You know that Cristiano will score a penalty."
He has played the full 90 minutes in the Premier League once this term and that showing came in the 4-0 defeat away at Brentford, widely recognised as one of the worst performances in United's modern history.
Having a player of Ronaldo's stature on the bench more often than he is on the pitch, amid relentless reports of his unhappiness and desire to get out of the club as soon as possible is a problem for United - regardless of what Pogba says.
