Cristiano Ronaldo has sensationally put himself forward as the man to turn Manchester United around.
Despite receiving a heroes welcome on his return in 2021, Ronaldo’s second Premier League spell would come to an acrimonious end.
After a public falling out with Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo would subsequently make a number of explosive claims in a TV interview that saw United terminate his contract.
In the two years since, much has changed at Old Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group assuming control of football operations after years of fan unrest under the Glazer regime, and Ten Hag sacked in October.
However, while the rebuild behind the scenes has seen a significant overhaul, difficulties on the pitch have remained.
Ronaldo’s former Portugal team-mate Ruben Amorim has been brought in to mould the squad he inherited in the ways of his progressive footballing philosophy.
Results on the pitch are yet to improve however, with a 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Thursday continuing the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season.
Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony on Friday, Ronaldo insisted that Amorim is not to blame for United’s current slump and that a significant overhaul would be required for the club to return to its former glory.
‘[The] Premier League it’s the most difficult league in the world,’ he said.
‘All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the teams are strong. Football is different right now. There’s no easy games any more.
‘They need, I said this one year and a half ago, and I will continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches, it’s like… I always give this example… it’s like an aquarium.
‘If you have the fish inside and he’s sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium you will be sick again.
‘The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that.’
More to follow
