WOLVERHAMPTON, England - Cristiano Ronaldo was everywhere as Manchester United beat Wolves on Sunday, even though he was actually 1,500 miles away in Lisbon, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team won 1-0 at Molineux.
Whether it's United fans in a Ronaldo shirt - many of them from the days when he wore the number 7 for Sir Alex Ferguson's team between 2003 and 2009 - the number of Portugal's flag in honor of the new arrival from Juventus or " The relentless hum of 3,000 United supporters singing "Viva Ronaldo" was not the only topic on everyone's mind to avoid.
"It's a dream to have him back," said United goalkeeper David de Gea. "It would be great: it's already great, you can feel it in the atmosphere. Hopefully he can bring something special to make the team even better."
There was even a life-size cardboard cutout of the 36-year-old, wearing his old United kit, that danced throughout the game that long steps required Solskjaer's team to turn another fast forward into Wolves. was seen growing. Adama Traore. If Traor had had a fraction of Ronaldo's ruthless ability to convert the spot, United would have comfortably beaten before Mason Greenwood won the game with a right footed shot in the 79th minute. But while Traore is full of exciting pace and power, his return of seven goals in 146 appearances for Wolves tells you all about his end product.
In the end, United emerged with an unquestionably lucky win, especially given that Greenwood's goal-building could have resulted in a red card for Paul Pogba for a challenge on Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, the referee. Was unpublished by Mike Dean.
Solskjaer's team also owes De Gea a huge debt, after a series of significant saves - most notably his double-stop from Romain Sass in the second half - for a victory that moved them to third, early Two points behind leaders Tottenham. It also ensured that United set a new English record by extending their unbeaten run at home to 28 league games.
But before Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in this final game, we saw a United still a flawed work in progress under Solskjaer. De Gea was excellent, as were Harry Maguire and debutant Raphael Varane in between. Luke Shaw was also impressive, but Fred was an accident waiting to happen in midfield, repeatedly losing the ball, while forwards Jadon Sancho and Daniel James offered little.
Ronaldo, in Lisbon, to undergo a therapy before completing his return to Old Trafford after the upcoming international break, may have looked at his new team and wondered what he was giving himself for.
When he left United for Real Madrid in 2009, he was leaving the Premier League champions - a side that boasted world-class talent such as Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Carlos Tevez. He is coming back to a very different United side, and a club that has won nothing since 2017 and claimed a Premier League title since Ferguson retired in 2013. But Ronaldo's return will do a lot for the team and the club. He will sprinkle plenty of stardust at Old Trafford for a start, but he will give United a strong lead, demand improvement from his teammates and give fans reason to rejoice.
United supporters have been excited ever since the club agreed to a deal with Juventus on Friday to hijack Manchester City's search for their longtime hero, and for a fan base that the owners, the Glazer family, have been playing in the past. The season was in open rebellion against the mood. Now completely transformed.
"It's the best thing ever," Tony, a Traveling United fan, told ESPN. "We wish Ronaldo left 12 years ago, and I don't care how old he is or what he's done. He's still the best player in the world and I can't wait until he I don't make my own. [Second] debut for us."
Another fan, Pete, told ESPN that Ronaldo's return has restored some confidence that United haven't had since Ferguson left eight years ago.
"The return of Ronaldo gives us encouragement once again," he said. "United has always been about the best players and biggest stars and we haven't really had a few years. But all of a sudden, we've got Ronaldo again, and it's great to be able to say that."
With a fee agreed with Juventus (€15m plus €8m in add-ons) United are now waiting for Ronaldo to complete his medical before officially confirming his signing. The forward is due to play for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland at Faro on Wednesday before further games against Qatar and Azerbaijan, but Solskjaer expects Ronaldo to be placed in Manchester as soon as possible.
"We need to get all the paperwork done and hopefully we can sort it out before we go with Portugal and declare 100 percent," Solskjaer said. "He has three games, the last game is on Tuesday [September 7] so we can get him back to Manchester and then hopefully he will join ASAP.
"He hasn't signed on to sit on the bench. He's definitely going to make us a better team."
The problem for Solskjaer is that, while Ronaldo will undoubtedly make United a more powerful attacking force, he still has issues to address in the midfield, both in terms of balance and personnel. To get the absolute maximum from Ronaldo, Solskjaer needs a strong midfield behind him and Pogba is free to play a more advanced role than the holding position he was given with Fred at Wolves.
But all managers have selection dilemmas and tactical headaches. The difference for Solskjaer - and this is a positive - is that no one else has the luxury of being able to call Ronaldo on paper any cracks.
There's really no downside for United on and off the pitch when it comes to Ronaldo's return.