Ruud van Nistelrooy can copy Cristiano Ronaldo trick to take Man United gem to next level

Earlier this year Ruud van Nistelrooy put on a finishing session for FC Twente attacking midfielder Sem Steijn, with the 22-year-old keen to pick the brains of arguably his country's greatest finisher. After 17 goals in 34 Eredivisie games last season, the impact was immediate.

"I went on the field with him twice to work on my [shooting]," Steijn said after scoring a hat-trick against FC Volendam last month. “If you can learn something from anyone, it is from Ruud. It was very educational and I am very happy with that.

“We didn’t even shoot that many balls, but we looked more at what I do with which ball. What angle do you create for the goalkeeper and in what angle do you stand behind the ball?”

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Manchester United's forwards might have to form a queue for their one-on-one sessions with Van Nistelrooy if the club's former striker takes up a post as one of Erik ten Hag's assistants in a new-look coaching set-up. Van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have been lined up to bolster the coaching at Carrington and both bring plenty of experience, having been managers in their own right. Their arrival will put the futures of Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy in question, with their doubts the latter will be kept on. McCarthy joined United in 2022 but his contract expires this summer..

He spent time working with United's forwards but he wasn't present at every game and it's easy to envisage Van Nistelrooy taking up the burden of fine-tuning that finishing. He did just that for Cody Gakpo during their time together at PSV Eindhoven, as well as working individually with Steijn while out of work.

It's already been suggested that Rasmus Hojlund is the obvious beneficiary and it's clear the 47-year-old, who plundered 150 goals in 219 games for United, could help develop the Dane's game. But it's worth stating Hojlund scored 16 goals from an xG of 11.2 last season, which suggests his finishing isn't exactly an issue.

The areas the £72m striker can improve on are around movement, fashioning more chances for himself and finding ways to influence the game, but his strike rate will go up if United look like a better team and carve out more chances for him. He isn't the finished article, but he knows where the goal is.

Instead, the player in that attack who has more goals to be unlocked is Alejandro Garnacho. The 19-year-old is a star in the making and the only thing lacking from his game is that killer instinct. He has earned comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo at a similar age and while he is never going to be quite as prolific, it does feel like an explosion in his numbers is achievable.

Last season Garnacho got 10 goals in 50 appearances but on three occasions - against Aston Villa, West Ham and Chelsea - he scored twice in a game. Of those 50 games, there were 38 in which Garnacho didn't score or assist.

That is a ratio that is holding him back from the very top level at the moment. The talent is there, his dribbling is superb and he can terrify defences, but the end product must improve.

Working with Van Nistelrooy on angles to take on shots, as Stejn did, could make a difference to Garnacho's game. Much of the untapped improvement is about picking his moment to shoot or cross, it's about improving his decision-making in the penalty area and becoming a more ruthless attacker.

Ronaldo found a similar improvement after working one-on-one with Rene Meulensteen, following a red card against Portsmouth in 2007. Meulensteen created a series of shooting drills to make Ronaldo aware of his position around the box, creating different angles for him to score and how to finish from central areas and from wide.

Having scored 50 goals in his first 196 games for United, Ronaldo got 68 in his next 96 before moving to Real Madrid and going to another level. Garnacho might never hit those heights, but Van Nistelrooy can unlock more potential.