Cristiano Ronaldo’s second stint with Manchester United didn’t go as planned as the Portugal star saw the Premier League side terminate his contract in November 2022. The decision was taken after Ronaldo’s controversial interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, where he criticised the club’s hierarchy and Erik ten Hag.
United purchased him from Juventus in the 2021 summer transfer window for 15 million Euros, plus eight million Euros in add-ons. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got sacked midway through the 2021-22 campaign as manager and Ten Hag arrived. Ronado ran-out-of-favour with the Dutchman and what followed was the ill-fated interview.
Speaking to the Overlap, the former Norway player opened up about the transfer, and passed his verdict on the move. “With the ball, with him in the team, it was no problem. Without him [pressing], we had to change a little bit from the different roles we’d gotten used to. We were one of the highest pressing teams before [Ronaldo joined]. We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players. It was the right decision to make for me – it didn’t turn out to be the right one,” he said.
He further added, “Cristiano – when you know him and speak to him, he wanted to play three out of four games, he realised he’s getting older as well. But when you leave him out once, he’s not happy!”
Ten Hag’s job as Manchester United manager is currently under fire and the Dutchman saw his side crash to a 1-3 defeat against Manchester City in their latest Premier League fixture. United are currently sixth in the Premier League standings with 44 points in 27 matches, packed with 14 wins, two draws and 11 defeats. They are up against Everton in their upcoming match, which is scheduled for March 9 at Old Trafford.