Topics: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Premier League, Manchester United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has aimed a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo in a new interview reflecting on his time at Manchester United.
Solskjaer brought Ronaldo back to the club in the summer of 2021 and he scored twice on his debut in a 4-1 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford.
That was in September but two months on and the Norwegian was relieved of his duties after a dire run of form which saw United lose five games out of seven.
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Many felt as though five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was part of the problem even with his 24 goals scored in all competitions in the 2021/22 campaign.
Solskjaer explained the thought process behind the decision to sign former teammate Ronaldo but admits a difficult period highlighted "certain players and egos".
"It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong," Solskjaer told The Athletic.
"It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking (after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win).
"He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong. When I looked at the fixtures it was going to be a deciding period: Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, and Leicester away. Then Chelsea and Arsenal, plus Champions League games.
"Things went against us. It started with Aston Villa at home (a 1-0 defeat) and a late penalty miss.
"When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction. When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out. We beat Tottenham convincingly 3-0 away, but then we lost two games."
Ronaldo would end up leaving United just over a year on after falling out with Erik ten Hag and delivering a scathing, tell-all interview to Piers Morgan.
He laid into a slew of figures, including ex United skipper Gary Neville - saying he criticises him to "be more famous".
Neville, who ended up getting snubbed by his one-time colleague, had been against the signing of Ronaldo.
"Love him but think it’s better to leave the memories where they are," he responded when asked in a Q&A on X, which was known as Twitter at the time.
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