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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football
Adnan Riaz
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football
Cristiano Ronaldo’s scathing criticism over Manchester United’s lack of “evolution at the club” and dated training facilities have been backed up by a former Red Devils player.
The 38-year-old Portuguese forward pulled no punches towards the Premier League club during his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV last November.
Ronaldo, who returned to Old Trafford in 2022 after his spell with Juventus, ruthlessly slammed the likes of Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family and Ralf Rangnick.
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The Al Nassr superstar also spotlighted what he believed to be a lack of development at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Speaking to Morgan, Ronaldo said: “Nothing changed, surprisingly. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. Even the kitchen, the chefs, whom I appreciate -- lovely people. They stopped in time. It surprised me a lot.
“I thought I would see other things, technologies and infrastructure. Unfortunately, we see a lot of what I used to see at 21, 22 and 23 years old. It really surprised me.
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“Since Ferguson left, I haven’t seen an evolution at the club. Progress is zero. You have to tear it down and rebuild it. If they start with me, it’s not a problem.”
Ronaldo’s contract with United was mutually terminated after his interview with Morgan and the Red Devils legend went on to sign for Al Nassr.
Former United player Morgan Schneiderlin has now echoed similar sentiments to Ronaldo by claiming there was a “weird feeling” at the club.
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Schneiderlin arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 under former United manager Louis van Gaal and endured an ill-fated spell at the Red Devils after his reported £25m move.
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The 33-year-old French midfielder scored only once and registered an assist in his 47 appearances for United, with Schneiderlin making a lacklustre impact at Old Trafford.
Schneiderlin, who plays for Nice and is currently on loan at Western Sydney, was shipped off to Everton in 2017 by ex-United boss Jose Mourinho for an initial fee of £20m.
The former France international believes he arrived at United at the “wrong time” and claimed the club’s training facilities “needed to be more modern.”
“It was a weird feeling at Manchester United,” he told The Daily Mail.
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“For me, it is the biggest club in the world, no doubt, but I joined at the wrong time.
“The training ground needed to be more modern and other things needed to change.
“You could feel the atmosphere at the club wasn’t great. I was very surprised, I was thinking, sometimes, ‘Come on, we are all playing for Manchester United, we should smile every day, of course there is high pressure but you need to be strong to play.’
“As a player, you always blame yourself and I know what went wrong with me. If you play for Manchester United, you have quality, I was full of dreams going there and didn't expect things to go that way.”