Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted they made the “wrong decision” when they re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021.
After spells at Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo returned to Man Utd during the 2021 summer transfer window for around £17m.
The 39-year-old’s debut season for the Red Devils was successful as he scored 24 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.
However, the 2021/22 campaign was miserable for Man Utd as Solskjaer was sacked en route to them finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Ralf Rangnick had a spell as interim boss before Erik ten Hag was appointed as Solskjaer’s permanent replacement ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Ten Hag’s arrival negatively impacted Ronaldo, who slipped in the pecking order under the Dutchman.
The former Man Utd boss preferred to select younger players and his side generally performed better without Ronaldo.
The veteran forward did not take this demotion too well as he reportedly often butted heads with Ten Hag and had his contract mutually terminated at the end of 2022.
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It was reported that Ronaldo was also unhappy following Man Utd’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and he was linked with several European sides before he left the Premier League giants. Despite this, he joined Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr at the start of 2023.
Ronaldo has been in good form for third-placed Al Nassr this season, grabbing six goals and two assists in his nine Saudi Pro League appearances. Overall, he has 68 goals and 18 assists in his 79 appearances for the Middle East outfit.
Reflecting on his time at Man Utd, Solskjaer admitted Ronaldo was the “wrong choice” and former Man Utd coach Kieran McKenna – who currently manages Ipswich Town – had one fear about the transfer.
“How are we going to defend ourselves? That’s the first thing he [McKenna] says,” Solskjaer revealed.
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“It was probably a wrong choice for all of us. But we felt it was the right decision then and there.”
Solskjaer has also revealed why he is “proud” of the job he did at Man Utd.
“I am proud of what I did. I have to say, I think it was a lot of good, and we were on our way to something very good,” he added.
“We came third and second, got a number of semi-finals, and unfortunately, we lost that final [against Villarreal]. That’s how I think about it, if we had won it, it could have been a completely different outcome.”
In a new interview, Ronaldo has intimated that he intends to carry on playing for a “few years”.
“I can’t wait to see what my legs have to offer me in the next few years,” Ronaldo said.
“If the 1000th goal comes, that’s fine… but if it doesn’t happen, I’m already the top scorer in history.”
