Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Manchester United's decision to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 was a mistake. The former United manager revealed that the club acted out of fear that Ronaldo would join rivals Manchester City, where he could have potentially outscored what Erling Haaland is doing right now.
The move, which initially excited the Old Trafford faithful, brought Ronaldo back to the club where he first made a name for himself. After a remarkable start of his career for the Red Devils where he made his name as one of the best footballers in the world, Cristiano left for Real Madrid in 2009 for a world record fee back then. Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford after a successful stint at Juventus, scoring 101 goals in 134 games. However, while Ronaldo enjoyed a strong first season under Solskjaer, netting 24 goals, his homecoming eventually caused ripples in the United dressing room.
ALSO READ: Manchester United set to announce Forward
Solskjaer explained that bringing in a superstar like Ronaldo had a significant impact on his squad’s dynamics. "Maybe other players felt less important because, of course, this is one of the world’s superstars that comes in," Solskjaer shared during his appearance at the Oslo Business Forum. Despite Ronaldo's impressive performances, things didn’t go well for Solskjaer as he was ultimately relieved of his duties, just 10 weeks later, in November 2021.
The Portuguese forward's second spell at Manchester United was also overshadowed by tension with Solskjaer's eventual successor, Dutch manager, Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo's frustrations ended with an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in late 2022, where he expressed his dissatisfaction with the club and his lack of respect for Ten Hag. This practically ended his second stint with Manchester United rather on a bitter note.
Reflecting on the decision to sign Ronaldo, Solskjaer admitted, "Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and in the name of hindsight, it went wrong." The iconic return of Ronaldo may have been a bid to thwart Manchester City’s ambitions, but in the end, it did not pay off as expected for the Red Devils.