Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has acknowledged that Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United “turned out wrong”

WHAT TRANSPIRED? Ronaldo rejoined Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, returning 12 years after his initial departure to Real Madrid. At that time, Solskjaer was in charge of Manchester United. While the Portuguese star had a flying start, scoring twice in his comeback match against Newcastle, the team’s performance gradually deteriorated.

Consequently, Solskjaer was relieved of his managerial duties just four months into the 2021-22 season. Solskjaer now openly admits that his decision to bring Ronaldo back was not the right one, and he elaborates on the circumstances that led to the turbulent conclusion of his tenure.

Solskjaer explained to The Athletic, “It was a decision that was very difficult to decline, and I felt it was necessary, but it didn’t yield the expected results. When he initially signed, it felt like the perfect move, and the fans shared that sentiment, especially during the Newcastle game when Old Trafford erupted after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 victory. At that time, he was still among the world’s top goal scorers and was in peak form.

“When I assessed our upcoming fixtures, it was a crucial period: matches against Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and a challenging away game against Leicester, followed by clashes with Chelsea and Arsenal, not to mention the Champions League matches.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way. It all began with a home defeat to Aston Villa (1-0) and a missed late penalty. In a team, unity is crucial, especially when things aren’t going well, and during that time, we witnessed certain players’ egos and disagreements surfacing. We did secure a convincing 3-0 victory against Tottenham on the road, but then we experienced two losses.”

THE BROADER PICTURE: In his first season back at Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 38 appearances. However, he couldn’t prevent the team from achieving their lowest-ever Premier League points total. Following Solskjaer’s departure, Erik ten Hag took the helm but made the decision to exclude Ronaldo from the starting lineup at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign.

Ronaldo’s behavior both on and off the pitch sparked controversy as he expressed his frustration about limited playing time. An ill-advised interview with Piers Morgan saw him criticize Ten Hag and his teammates, leading to the mutual termination of his contract. Subsequently, Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, setting off a wave of European talent heading to the Middle East.