Bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United 'was the right decision at the time' - Solskjaer
United signed Ronaldo from Juventus in the summer of 2021 for a transfer fee of 15 million euros and add-ons of 8 million euros. It has been reported that rivals Manchester City are in talks with the player's agent ahead of his return to Old Trafford, having joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.
However, Ronaldo's second season did not go to plan and Solskjaer was sacked midway through the 2021/22 season, with United finishing sixth in the Premier League. The 39-year-old's contract was ultimately terminated by United after The Athletic reported that the club had launched legal action against him for breach of contract following his interview with Piers Morgan. .
"He was excited so he said yes (to the deal)," Solskjaer told Overlap newspaper. They asked me (the board), "Would you like to try this?" » And I said yes.
"Even though he was 37 years old, we knew we had to take care of him. He is the best scorer in the world. "This was my decision, and although it didn't work out for me or for Cristiano, it was the right decision at the time."
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Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo gave a highly critical interview in which he accused his former employer of betrayal and criticized head coach Erik ten Hag and the club's management.
Ronaldo said in an interview with Morgan that he "felt betrayed" by United. The striker added that he felt pressure to leave United "not only from the manager (ten Hag) but also from two or three other people at the club".
Solskjaer also spoke about the impact Ronaldo's arrival had on the team, pointing out that he was unhappy that the Portugal international did not start every game. "We immediately started thinking about how to react and make small changes," Solskjaer added.
“Cristiano is different than Anthony Martial, who was playing up front, and even though we are playing up front with Mason (Greenwood) and Marcus (Rashford). It was Edinson Cavani who suffered the most when Cristiano arrived. We played and gave Edinson some understanding of how we play. ”
Solskjaer said: "There was nothing wrong with the team on the ball. Without this (constant pressure) we had to make a few changes to the different roles we were used to. Previously, we were one of the teams that pressed the most (Ronaldo arrived). When Cristiano arrived, we let Dan James go, but they are two different types of players. “When he arrived at the club, he knew he was getting old and wanted to play three or four games. But at some point, if you leave him alone, he won't be happy either. Sir Alex won't be happy either.»
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