Manchester United has been struggling for about a decade now. Unable to win any major European tournaments or the league title, the Red Devils were desperate to give something back to the fans. Subsequently, in 2021, it led the club to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo. Aiming at a boost not just for its brand, United looked at the transfer to enhance the results they’ve been missing out on. However, there was a problem with the former United #7 since he joined, felt a former Premier League striker.

Despite bolstering the club’s attack, Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival did not paint a pretty picture in the dressing room, believes former English striker, Darren Bent. Speaking on talkSPORT to Andy Goldstein, Bent said, “You see Ronaldo, someone like that comes into the dressing room, you can’t be at that inferior complex where you like, ‘Am I good enough?’ So naturally you don’t play your own game. You’re just thinking you get the ball, where’s Ronaldo? I’ve got to pass to Ronaldo, I got to pass to Ronaldo”, he described the team’s mentality in CR7’s presence.

The Portuguese captain made an instant impact after he signed scoring 24 goals in 38 games. Yet the team finished 6th in the Premier League, failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. On the other hand, players like Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood were the only other players who were consistently appearing on the scoresheet. The chemistry between the team and CR7 never seemed to kick off.

Ronaldo, on Piers Morgan’s show, once said, “I don’t think they don’t respect the experienced players or the older players, I don’t think that word is the best one,” feeling that he did not get enough reverence. Most importantly, what did the then-manager in charge have to say about all of this?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Manchester United’s discomfort after Cristiano Ronaldo arrived

Cristiano Ronaldo was signed with ambition by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But the Norwegian icon confessed that the team had to revamp their strategy just for CR7 and that did not end up working out. In a recent interview on The Overlap, Ole said, “With the ball, with him (Ronaldo) in the team, it was no problem. Without him [pressing], we had to change a little bit the different roles we’d gotten used to,” citing the change in tactics. Summing up the entire scenario, the former manager said, “It didn’t work out for Cristiano”.

via Reuters

However, the star has now found a new club where he already made his mark. He’s now the face of Al Nassr and works around an experienced European core and a bunch of youngsters as well. The Red Devils, on the other hand, are struggling to get into the Top 4 of the English Premier League. Whether they’ll be able to bring the current conundrum to an end is the big question.