Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a scathing review of his former club and defended compatriot Ruben Amorim’s slow start.
The former Sporting CP manager, who played alongside Ronaldo in the Portugal national team, has lost five of his first ten games since moving to Old Trafford in November. This is the one the worst start by any United boss in the last 90 years.
Amorim, as Ronaldo has been quick to point out, took over a club that has been mired in mediocrity for years. During his first spell at Manchester under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo won nine major trophies and lifted the 2008 Ballon d’Or. However, his second spell ended in ignominy, leaving the club after a drop in audience with then manager Erik ten Hag at the end of 2022.
Ten Hag was fired earlier this season with United languishing in 14th place. After six weeks under Amorim, the Red Devils remain in exactly the same position. “(The) Premier League, it’s the most difficult league in the world,” argued Ronaldo at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai on Friday.
“Every team is good, every team fights, every team runs, every team is strong. Football is different right now. There are no easy games anymore.”
“He (Amorim) did a fantastic job in Portugal with my (club) Sporting,” added Ronaldo. “I knew it was going to be tough and the storm will continue. But the storm will end and the sun will come out.”
Ronaldo He used an unflattering – and somewhat confusing – analogy to explain United’s current malaise: “I said it a year and a half ago, and I’ll keep saying it: the problem isn’t the managers, it’s how… I always i give this example…it’s like an aquarium if you have the fish in it and it’s sick and you take it out and you fix the problem and you put it back in an aquarium it’s going to be sick again.
“The problem of Manchester United it’s the same The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that.”
The 39-year-old, who is still in Saudi Arabia’s top flight, is not done with his playing career but stressed that his footballing talent was not limited to the confines of a pitch. “If I will be the owner of the club,” Ronaldo said, “I will make things clear and adjust the things that are wrong there.” Unfortunately for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Portuguese striker did not explain his grand plan to save United.
