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Manchester, Tuesday  @PeopleSports11

Cristiano Ronaldo has already matched the Premier League goal returns of both Alexis Sanchez and Angel Di Maria as Manchester United players after just two games.

The Portuguese star, 36, scored twice on his first game back for the club against Newcastle United at Old Trafford last weekend.

And he followed that up with a tap-in to equalise in Sunday’s 2-1 win over West Ham for a third league goal since his return. 

Both Alexis and Di Maria could muster only three league goals during their entire time at Old Trafford despite both also wearing the No 7 shirt.

And Ronaldo has already eclipsed another wearer of the iconic jersey – Memphis Depay – who managed only two league strikes at United.

Argentine Di Maria was the headline signing of Louis van Gaal’s first summer as United manager, arriving from Real Madrid in a deal worth £59.7million.

He inherited the No 7 shirt previously worn by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Ronaldo but failed to live up to expectations.

Di Maria managed only three goals in 27 Premier League appearances and four in total for the club before departing for Paris Saint-Germain just a season after joining.

He is still at PSG, where his career has been revived by an impressive return of 88 goals in 267 games as well as numerous domestic honours.

Chilean forward Sanchez arrived at United in January 2018 as part of a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the other way to Arsenal.

But he too struggled to match expectations in the No 7 shirt, managing only three Premier League goals in 32 games over his season-and-a-half there.

Sanchez was loaned out to Inter Milan for the 2019-20 season and went on to sign for the Italian club permanently having netted only five times overall for United.

His fortunes have also improved as he played a role in Inter winning the Serie A title last season.

Ronaldo’s return to United, where he scored 118 goals during his first spell between 2003 and 2009, has significantly boosted their chances of success this season.

As well as his bright start in the Premier League, he also scored in last week’s Champions League defeat to Young Boys.

Ronaldo could be given a breather when United play host to West Ham in the Carabao Cup third round this Wednesday before their next league assignment against Aston Villa on Saturday.   – Daily Mail