“It turned out wrong” – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer delivers verdict on re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United

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Ole admits signing Cristiano Ronaldo was the wrong decision
Ole admits thaat signing Cristiano Ronaldo (left) was the wrong decision.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Manchester United's decision to sign Cristiano Ronaldo was wrong in hindsight. He aadded that it was tough to turn the opportunity down and felt that he had to go for it.

Solskjaer told The Athletic that the Portuguese star is still one of the best goalscorers. However, he added that he needed everyone on the same wavelength, and that was not possible with the former Real Madrid star in the starting XI:

"It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down, and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong. 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).
"He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world. He was looking strong. When I looked at the fixtures, it was going to be a deciding period: Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, and Leicester away. Then Chelsea and Arsenal, plus Champions League games."

Solskjaer added:

"Things went against us. It started with Aston Villa at home (a 1-0 defeat) and a late penalty miss. When you have a group, you need everyone to pull in the same direction.
"When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out. We beat Tottenham convincingly 3-0 away, but then we lost two games."

Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United in 2021 and played 13 gmes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He scored nine times and assisted twice but was on the winning side only five times.


Sir Alex Ferguson apologised to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Cristiano Ronaldo decision

In a previous interview, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson had apologised to him for a Cristiano Ronaldo-related comment.

The legendary managed was caught on camera saying that the manager needed to play his best players but later admitted that he was not in the right position to make a decision, telling The Athletic:

"That's the one time Sir Alex has ever apologised to me. He was caught on a video saying, 'You should always play your best players,' after Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench for one game.
"He (Ferguson) rang me and apologised because he knows how difficult it is. I'm clever enough to stay away. It's difficult enough to be the manager of Manchester United without the ex-managers trying to give you advice."

Sky Sports suggested Sri Alex Ferguson stopped Cristiano Ronaldo from joining Manchester City and asked him to rejoin Manchester United.

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