Manchester United’s failed Cristiano Ronaldo experiment in 2021 was a crystal clear sign that the club needed to change.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired in 2021, Manchester United hired Ralf Rangnick as interim boss, with a view to a more strategic role.
Rangnick’s demand for ‘open heart surgery’ did not go down well at the club at the time – but he was speaking the honest truth.
Later in 2022 the Glazers decided to cede power, with Ineos winning the battle and starting to rip up the existing football structure and start again.
- READ MORE: Who is Cristiano Ronaldo? Meet one of football’s most iconic names and undisputed Man Utd legend
Cristiano Ronaldo demanded Man Utd ambition
Cristiano Ronaldo has been presenting his views on the current state of Manchester United, taking a shot at Erik ten Hag in the process.
Ronaldo hit out at United for a perceived lack of ambition, demanding that United should always be looking to win the Premier League and Champions League.
Yet on the very same day, Manchester United’s chief executive Omar Berrada came out to express the club’s clear ambition.
Berrada released a statement amid United’s financial results, commenting: “Our clear objective is to return the club to the top of European football.”
This is exactly what Ronaldo is demanding, for United to want to reach the peak, and not settle for sub-standard targets.
You could say Berrada’s comments are just lip-service to the club’s shareholders, and that may be correct – but they are also words Manchester United fans want to hear from the ambitious new investors.
Manchester United are getting it right off the pitch
Ineos have been working apace to rip up the structure they inherited at Manchester United and bring in their own team of experts, best in the field.
Omar Berrada is one of these, the former Manchester City chief executive, while Dan Ashworth was hired from Newcastle.
Jean-Claude Blanc has a seat on the United board, bringing experience from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
United are also set to appoint Marc Armstrong, PSG’s chief revenue officer, adding in another high calibre expert behind the scenes.
The idea is that eventually the right support structure will translate to success on the pitch, or at least give the manager a better chance..
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