Cristiano Ronaldo: Premier League top scorer odds, news & analysis

Just over 12 years since he swapped Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return to Manchester United and bookmakers expect the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to make quite the impact.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star is 5-1 with most firms to finish as top goalscorer in this season's Premier League with only Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku above Ronaldo in the betting.

But bet365 have Ronaldo level with Lukaku at 3-1 and offer 8-1 that the forward will bag 30 goals or more.

And United have even seen their title price cut from 7-1 to 11-2 following the confirmation of the deal. But is that an overreaction?

Firstly, anyone suggesting Ronaldo is a fading force need only look at his tally of 29 Serie A goals last season - the highest in the division - and see that he is far from past it.

But the forward is 36 and United fans can be forgiven for thinking that attention perhaps should have been focused on bringing in a big-name forward with years ahead of him - dare I say Erling Haaland?

United have long been in need of a clinical out-and-out striker who can perform consistently in the high-intensity Premier League and even for someone of Ronaldo's fitness and physique, that is a big ask.

That said, United have another veteran in their ranks in 34-year-old Edinson Cavani and Ronaldo's arrival may not mean the Uruguayan is as short of game time as many think.

Through rotating the two, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can ensure he always has a vocal and experienced forward at the forefront of his side, which can only do wonders for the young blood around them such as Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Dan James.

If one thing is for certain it's that Ronaldo's role this term will be very different from the one he fulfilled in 2008-09, when he was carving out his reputation as one of the best in the world.

We now know what he is capable of and he will act more like a leader figure than a prodigy and that could be something special to watch.

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