"He chose the wrong time to come back to Manchester United" - Pundit claims Cristiano Ronaldo should've joined Man City in 2021

Pundit Gary Pallister has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo should have joined Manchester City rather than Manchester United in 2021. The Portugal international was strongly linked with a move to the Etihad before making an emotional return to Old Trafford in 2021.

Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as one of the best players in the world during his first stint at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009. He came back to the Theatre of Dreams for his second spell at the club in 2021 but left in January 2023.

Ronaldo's second spell at United was a mixed one as he enjoyed a solid 2021-22 season scoring 24 goals and providing three assists in 38 games. He scored three goals and produced two assists in 16 games in the first half of the 2022-23 season before his contract was terminated in November 2022.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had an explosive fallout with then-manager Erik ten Hag following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan. He joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 and remains a key player for the Saudi Pro League giants.

Gary Pallister, who played for the Red Devils between 1989 and 1998 and played 434 times for the club, has insisted that Ronaldo should not have returned to Old Trafford. He has claimed that the Portuguese superstar should have joined Manchester City, where he would have been an outright success. He said, as quoted by GOAL:

"Cristiano Ronaldo will never be forgotten for what he did in his first spell. But then again, he left. The second spell, I never thought it was a good idea for him to come back at that time. Looking at it from afar, he would have been far better off signing, if indeed Man City were interested, for City. I think he would have gone on to score a lot of goals for Man City if he'd have gone there."

The former England defender added:

"I think he chose the wrong time to come back to Manchester United. It would have tugged on the heart strings, no doubt, coming back to a place that he loved playing at. But we weren't the team for Cristiano to go into."

Pallister added:

"We weren't good enough, we weren't going to create him the chances because he's a player that plays in the box and he comes alive in the box and Man City would have got him into them areas and he would have scored the goals – we needed more from Cristiano at Manchester United and I don't think he was capable of doing the running that he did in his pomp."

The pundit concluded:

"I just think it was the wrong time for Cristiano to come back to Manchester United and it probably has affected that reputation that he built up. But looking at the club right now, you can understand his frustrations at the time."

Cristiano Ronaldo made 292 appearances for Manchester United during his first spell at the club. He scored 118 goals and provided 59 assists in his first stint at the club and won nine trophies with the Red Devils.

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Marcus Rashford's take on Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate resurfaces as the Manchester United star closes in on a Barcelona move

Marcus Rashford's views on the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate have resurfaced ahead of the Englishman's imminent move to Barcelona. The 27-year-old is set to move to Camp Nou on loan from the Red Devils after going out of favour at Old Trafford.

As revealed by Fabrizio Romano, Rashford will take a 15% pay cut to join Hansi Flick's side. Barcelona will also have the option to sign the forward permanently next summer for €30 million.

Ahead of his move to Barca, Rashford's views on the GOAT debate have resurfaced. Back in 2018, he admitted that he considers Lionel Messi as the greatest of all time despite being a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. He said, as quoted by GIVEMESPORT:

"I'd have to say Messi, some of the stuff that he does is unbelievable. I'm a big fan of Ronaldo as well - but I think Messi is the greatest ever."

Rashford came through the youth ranks of Manchester United and made 426 appearances for the Red Devils over the years. He scored 138 goals and produced 77 assists and won six trophies for the Red Devils.