Former Manchester United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has maintained that bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford was still the right thing to do.
During the 2019 transfer window, the Norwegian did the unthinkable and managed to secure the signature of Ronaldo from Juventus.
The superstar scored 24 goals across all competitions in his first season back at Man Utd, but the wheels started to fall off in the second season after Solskjaer was sacked and Erik ten Hag was eventually brought in after a caretaker spell by Ralf Rangnick.
Ronaldo eventually left to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia after being released from his contract following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, but Solskjaer, speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, reiterates that he has no regrets.
“We never wanted him to go to City,” Solskjaer says of Ronaldo. “We’d had four wins and a draw, and were top of the league in September 2021. Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho joined, then we made that next step by signing Cristiano.
“It felt right. It didn’t turn out right, but it was the sensible thing to do at the time. He was available and still top level.
“He made his second debut against Newcastle and that was one of the most electric days at Old Trafford ever – he scored two goals. He deserved that chance to come back. He got 24 goals in that first season. He deserves more credit than what he’s got. He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong for us.”
Ronaldo signed from the Old Lady in a deal worth around £12million. He was the top-scorer for the side in his first season but could only manage three goals in his second term. Unhappy with not being chosen and the side languishing in the league, Ronaldo opted to accept Piers Morgan’s invite for an exclusive interview, where he criticised the team, as well as Ten Hag.
Manchester United released him from his contract soon after and he joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
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