Cristiano Ronaldo delivered some damning comments on the mentality of Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United squad.
In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo completed a fairytale return to Manchester United 12 years after he had left the club to join Real Madrid.
Unfortunately, though, his second chapter at Old Trafford did not have a fairytale ending as Ronaldo produced a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan where he spoke bluntly about the club’s issues.
Ronaldo criticised Carrington and the outdated training facilities, and also hinted that young players had attitude problems.
Many of the players Cristiano Ronaldo shared a dressing room with are still at Old Trafford, and the Portuguese legend continues to question their mentality.
Cristiano Ronaldo says Man United lack mentality
During Ronaldo’s first stint at United, he played under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson and was a key part of some of the best teams ever seen in world football, including the 2008 Champions League-winning squad.
While the training facilities were very much the same, the culture and standards at United had dropped significantly by the time Ronaldo returned.
In a new interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ronaldo spoke openly about United again, including his view on Ruben Amorim.
“It is a club I still have in my heart for obvious reasons,” Ronaldo said. “They have to follow with intelligent people to create a base for the future like Manchester United had many years ago.
“Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Beckham, they become a big player but they have youth. So Manchester United right now – they don’t have structure.
“I hope that changes in the future because the potential of the club is amazing.
“Of course [it still hurts], because I played there so many years, won the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or there and 12, 13, 14 titles. I love that club.
“But we have to be honest and say they are not on a good path. It’s not only about the coach and players in my opinion.
“Amorim is doing his best. Miracles are impossible. He’s not going to do miracles. Manchester United have good players, but some of them don’t have the mind.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s nickname for Ruben Amorim
While Ronaldo chases his 1,000th career goal, his former Portugal teammate Amorim took a very different career path and became a coach at a young age.
Towards the very end of 2024, Ronaldo backed Amorim to succeed in Manchester and told fans that the “sun will rise” after Amorim warned of a storm.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s passing of the torch moment at Man Utd had a very unhappy ending
Ronaldo is very familiar with Amorim’s successful spell at Sporting Lisbon, and he knows him personally having shared the pitch together in the Portugal national team.
During their time as players, Ronaldo called Amorim ‘Poet’ because of his way with words. Amorim’s transparency and honesty is one of the main reasons he has won over the United fanbase.
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