Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer says Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was not the right decision.
Solksjaer said that it appeared to be the right choice at the time Ronaldo was signed, but looking back that was probably a mistake.
Speaking on a podcast with Norwegian media outlet NRK, the ex-Red Devils gaffer explained how they analysed the Portuguese captain’s last six games at Juventus before making the decision to bring him back.
He noted that they were more about other positions on the field, a concern raised by current Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, who was part of his backroom staff at Old Trafford.
According to Daily Mail, McKenna suggested that signing a player in a different area of the pitch should have been the club’s priority.
Solkjaer recalled all the incidents on the podcast, saying that was the first issue raised by McKenna after he came back out of the Carrington analysis room.
“How are we going to defend ourselves? That's the first thing he says,” he recalled.
“It was probably a wrong choice for all of us. But we felt it was the right decision then and there.”
Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United
Ronaldo had a fairytale start on his return to Manchester United, scoring a brace in his second official debut against Newcastle United in the English Premier League.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner fell out with Solkjaer and Erik Ten Hag over not getting playing time.
He then granted a ‘reveal all’ interview to Pier Morgan before his contract was finally terminated in November 2022.
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