Solskjaer breaks down where it all went wrong with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, and takes full responsibility

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In 2021, Manchester United brought club legend Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, and now Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s admitted his regrets.

The return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United in 2021 was a move that many fans at Old Trafford had been dreaming of for over a decade.

A hero for many after his heroics for United between 2007 and 2009 in particular, Ronaldo’s return was a real watershed moment.

But the return wasn’t all positive as, despite a solid first season, it ultimately ended in horror as United terminated his contract after Ronaldo took part in a public interview with Piers Morgan.

Now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken about this deal to sign Ronaldo and admitted he actually thinks all parties would’ve been better off without the move.

• READ MORE: Who is Cristiano Ronaldo? Meet one of football’s most iconic names and undisputed Man Utd legend

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits slight regret over signing Cristiano Ronaldo

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast on Wednesday, Ole discussed various transfer failings including his desire to sign Erling Haaland.

But one signing he did get was Ronaldo and he admitted he almost wishes it hadn’t happened.

“I was excited, so I said yes. They actually asked me ‘Would you want us to try this?’ and I said yeah, we know Cristiano, we know his quality, we know he’s 37 but we’ll have to manage because he’s the best goalscorer in the world.

“It was my decision, it didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for Cristiano, but it was the right decision at the time.

Ole then admitted that the arrival of Ronaldo effectively undid all the work he’d done that summer as the style had to be completely changed.

“The right thing was to sign Cristiano, but I think it would’ve turned out better for Cristiano and for us if he hadn’t signed, that’s the headline.”

Solskjaer had Manchester United on the verge of reaching the top

It is often pointed out that the signing of Ronaldo hindered the progress that Ole had been making and forced the side to play differently therefore making them a poorer outfit.

This makes it frustrating that Ronaldo was actually signed when Ole would’ve likely preferred to have someone like Haaland at the club or even two years later Rasmus Hojlund would’ve been perfect for Ole.

Ole often got stick during his time at the club, but looking back now he was unfairly treated and ultimately he deserved more as he did a great job with the resources he had.

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