Manchester United dressing room ‘split’ into two camps as Cristiano Ronaldo and company at loggerheads with others - Reports

According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Manchester United's recent struggles have led to a split in the dressing room between the Portuguese and the non-Portuguese speaking players at the club.

In recent times, multiple reports have claimed that certain players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, have grown disillusioned at United under the new manager. As many as 14 players were reportedly said to be looking for a move away from the club. The claims, however, were later rubbished by the likes of Fred and Marcus Rashford via their respective social media platforms.

Reports have claimed the situation has grown worse since Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on January 3.

Crook spoke about how Cristiano Ronaldo might be wondering if he made the right choice in coming back to United last summer. He said:

"I think there are a couple of issues. There are problems in the dressing room and we've seen on the back pages today that Cristiano Ronaldo's agent is flying over because his client isn't absolutely convinced that he made the right move in terms of adding trophies to his glittering CV."

Furthermore, Crook claimed the following about the split between Portuguese and non-Portuguese speakers in the United dressing room:

"I've been told there is a definite split with the Portuguese speakers and the non-Portuguese speakers.”

---

Have Manchester United made the wrong managerial choice yet again?

Questions have already begun to be raised over Ralf Rangnick’s impact at Manchester United. After an initial influx of energy in his first few games in charge, the Red Devils have hit another trough.

The formation that the manager has chosen has also come under scrutiny, with doubts over whether the system suits the players he has at his disposal.

Marcus Rashford has played as a striker so far, but he is at his best when operating from the left wing. Jadon Sancho was deployed as a number 10 against Wolves, while Bruno Fernandes was dropped to the bench. After the game, Rangnick said his players simply could not get into positions from where they could actively press.

A lack of integration into the new system, coupled with reported disharmony between players in the dressing room, has now put Rangnick in a predicament.

Questioning the German’s qualifications as a manager, Alex Crook said:

"They [Man United] need an elite-level manager. And if you look at Ralf Rangnick's CV, it doesn't smack of an elite-level manager. Ulm 1846 [is where he won] his first trophy as a manager. Stuttgart, he won the Intertoto Cup. Hannover, he won the 2. Bundesliga. Schalke, he won some cups and yes he did take them to a Champions League semi-final. But I think he's probably a better administrator - and that's where most of his success has come in terms of what he did in the Red Bull franchise - than he is a manager."

The next few weeks will be crucial for Ralk Rangnick as he looks to get the situation at Manchester United under control.