Jamie Carragher Says Cristiano Ronaldo Was A 'Joke' Signing For Manchester United

Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane have argued over Manchester United's decision to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, with the former Liverpool player claiming it was a 'joke signing.'

Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford at the beginning of the season certainly had fans of the club excited, and even those who don't support the team felt it was a real show of intent.

Since then though, the season hasn't gone as expected for the team and they struggle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

With cups also a bust and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked way back in November, it's been a poor campaign for everyone, even with Ronaldo scoring 21 times in all competitions, including a match winning hat-trick on Saturday.

It's not the first time that the 37-year-old has bailed his team out but not even the all time top goalscorer in men's football has been able to avoid the criticism.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, Carragher and Keane were discussing all things football and were asked to discuss the topic 'Manchester United made a mistake re-signing Ronaldo,' with Carra agreeing and Keane disagreeing.

You can see the entire fascinating debate about Ronaldo in the video below:

Comparing the signing to when Everton brought Wayne Rooney back to Goodison Park, and saying it was more to do with sentiment, the former Liverpool defender argued it showed where United were as a club.

"It smacked of where the club was. There was all this fanfare but really everyone knew it wasn't going to push, I knew it wasn't going to push them any closer to the title – they'd finished second the year before.

"When you watch Ronaldo and United's outfield players, he's still been one of the best – if not the best. He's the one who's had four or five moments where you go 'wow'. For Ronaldo to be playing at one of the top European clubs at 37, it's unbelievable.

"For United to buy Ronaldo, I thought it was a joke. It was either a panic because they thought they'd get Ronaldo – whether they were kidded by all the social media stuff, fans at the first game, I thought it was a bit embarrassing."

The Sky Sports pundit also discussed the fact the club might have been fooled by Manchester City's interest in the former Juventus forward and said they should have been looking to sign the 'next Ronaldo.'

Ronaldo celebrates his goal. Image: PA Images

Keane did see some negatives but added that the goals in the big European games, along with hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur had made the 'gamble' worth it.

"The bigger picture, he's not a great signing because of his age and what have you.

"I still think he can bring something to the party, and I think he has. What's gone on around him hasn't been good enough. I think he could have shown more leadership skills, he's been left out and hasn't played all the games, but he's still showed moments.

"The Tottenham game, some of the European games, it was worth the gamble."

Ronaldo and Keane played together at United. Image: PA Images

Carragher isn't the only former player to have questioned the signing in recent weeks, with Rooney joining the Liverpool legend on Monday Night Football last month.

United's all time top goalscorer claimed that the signing hadn't really worked for the team, with his former teammate calling Rooney 'jealous' on social media.

Do you agree with Carragher? Let us know in the comments.