Will Manchester United fans one day look back on that infamous Cristiano Ronaldo interview and see it as a catalyst for change at Old Trafford?
At the time, the legendary forward appeared to set fire to his Red Devils legacy. Forcing his way out of the club following a very unseemly breakdown of relations between he and coach Erik ten Hag.
But, when he was finished lambasting the man who committed the eternal sin of daring to rotate a 37-year-old striker in and out of his starting XI, Cristiano Ronaldo went on to say what so many at Manchester United must have been desperate to blurt out over the last two decades.
“The Glazers, they don’t care about the club,” Ronaldo said opposite Piers Morgan back in November 2023, via his ‘Uncensored’ YouTube channel. “Manchester (United) is a marketing club.
“They will get money from the marketing. The sport, they don’t really care in my opinion.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo hopes for bright Manchester United future
Ronaldo could not believe – when returning for a second spell in United red back in 2021 – that he would be greeted with the same facilities he left behind 12 years earlier.
A tattered, tired old Carrington. Once state of the art. Now, a symbol of that Glazer-driven demise.
Fortunately, with Ineos now in town, things are changing.
Per the BBC, Manchester United’s new decision-makers are embarking upon a £50 million overhaul of their beloved training ground.
There are plans to build a space-age 100,000 seater stadium to replace the iconic but rusting Old Trafford, while a host of elite-level behind-the-scenes experts have been added to the staff from Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth to ‘best in the world’ Jean-Claude Blanc.
And Ronaldo – his love for Man United unbroken despite the pain of that bitter 2022 divorce – is delighted to see Sir Jim Ratcliffe bring about some long overdue ‘change’ to a club that has been left to gather dust for so long.
“It is still one of the best clubs in the world. They need to change (but) they understand that. It’s the only way,” Ronaldo says via Rio Ferdinand Presents on YouTube.
“They start to change the structure of the club.
“They change the president (presumably he means Ratcliffe), the infrastructure, they invest in the training ground… So I’m happy.”
Portugal legend feels Carabao Cup is a current target
While Ineos have certainly made a very positive start, this is only the beginning.
Ratcliffe himself has already admitted that it may take a minimum of three years before Man United are competing for the Premier League title again, having finished 31 points off the top of the table last term.
And while the 13-time champions are building an exciting young squad with the future in mind – Leny Yoro joining Rasmus Hojlund, Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and co – Ronaldo warns Ineos that they must stay on track if they have any ambitions of trading the another Carabao Cup for Premier League and Champions League glory again.
“I believe the future will be bright,” adds Ronaldo, backing Ten Hag to continue his silverware-per-season record at United with a second EFL Cup triumph. “I believe.
“But it doesn’t depend only on the talent (in the squad). Its more than that. It’s everything as a unit, they have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete.
“They can do good things, yes. They can win the Carabao. But the Champions League, or Europa League, or the Premier League? Difficult, in my opinion.
“I wish that I am wrong, but it will be difficult.”
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