Ole Gunnar Solskjaer addresses whether the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was a mistake

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first two seasons in Manchester, for the most part, was a very successful time for the Norwegian.

United had achieved back-to-back top-four finishes under the former Red Devils striker before a signing in the summer of 2021 seemingly changed the trajectory of the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined the club after departing United in the summer of 2009, 12 years later the Portuguese forward was back at Old Trafford.

The signing of the forward, intentionally or unintentionally, seemed to derail United’s season in 2021-2022 before Solskjaer was sacked following the 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road.

Ronaldo mistake

Speaking in his first wide-ranging interview since his departure from the club for The Athletic, the Norwegian has admitted that the signing of Ronaldo was indeed a mistake.

“It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong,” Solskjaer admitted.

“It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking (after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win).

The Portuguese forward was briefly dropped before the home draw against Everton and a clip emerged of Sir Alex Ferguson saying that the best player’s needed to start.

Did the Ronaldo signing derail Solskjaer’s time in Manchester

United made a lot of mistakes when Solskjaer was the United manager but the signing of Ronaldo, despite how exciting it was at the time, was probably the wrong decision.

According to The Athletic, Rio Ferdinand and former United manager Ferguson swayed Ronaldo’s decision and the forward decided a return to Old Trafford was the best decision for the player.

Ronaldo has won a lot in the game but bringing in the forward for a project always seemed a risk. The forward wanted to win things now.

Solskjaer admitted certain egos affected the squad and you wonder if Ronaldo was a part of this.

“When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction,” the Norwegian said. “When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out.”