"He was past his best as well" - Former Manchester United star believes Red Devils were right to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022
Former Manchester United midfielder Gordon Strachan believes the club were right to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo back in November 2022.
The Portuguese legend's contract was ripped up less than 18 months after his return to Old Trafford from Juventus. He started just four Premier League games under Erik ten Hag and was evidently unhappy with the situation surrounding his playing time.
An explosive interview with Piers Morgan before the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the final nail in the coffin, and Ronaldo's contract at Manchester United was mutually terminated. Since then, there have been questions over whether United made the right call, more so after 'CR7' ended 2023 as the world's top scorer over the last 12 months.
Strachan, who played for the club from 1984 to 1989, believes they did. He told CRM software sweep.io (h/t GOAL):
"It was definitely time for him to go; he'd made a few grumbles about being there and a few other things. Whatever you think, he was past his best as well. He can still score goals, that's fine. It was to the detriment of Manchester United that you're trying to pack a team around a 38-year-old."
The 66-year-old former Scotland manager also chimed in on the debate surrounding Ronaldo's efficacy off the ball and said:
"You cannot be reliant on players who are that far advanced in their age and build a team around them... Ronaldo was never that guy who closed opposition teams down, even at Real Madrid. They would have seven players behind the ball whilst Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema stayed up front and didn't track back. That was 10 years ago."
Manchester United have had trouble finding the net this season, especially in the league. They sit eighth with 31 points from 20 matches, where they have netted just 22 times — 16 less than seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
"It turned out wrong"- Former Manchester United boss on Cristiano Ronaldo transfer
The man who signed Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in the summer of 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has said that the transfer 'turned out wrong'.
The Red Devils paid an initial €15 million fee to sign the former Real Madrid superstar from Juventus and signed him on a two-year contract in September 2021. A couple of months later, the Norwegian manager was sacked but Ronaldo finished as the club's top scorer that season, netting 24 times in 39 matches.
Reflecting on the move in September 2023, Solskjaer told the Athletic:
"It was about taking the next step to challenge for the title. And, unfortunately, it just didn’t work out. It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong...
"...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."
Solskjaer is yet to find a club after being sacked over two years ago by Manchester United.