Ole Gunnar Solskjær has openly admitted that the decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United was not the right one.
The former manager of The Red Devils, who was at the helm of the club when Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in 2021, has expressed regret over approving the deal.
According to Solskjær, it ended up preventing the club’s younger players from developing.
Ronaldo left Manchester United under dramatic circumstances only 22 months after he had signed the contract.
Solskjær, who is now 51 years old, reflects on the quick decision-making process that led to the Portuguese’s re-entry into the club. “It was a very quick decision,” Solskjær admitted in the podcast Stick to Football, presented by Sky Bet.
“We didn’t think Cristiano was available, and that he would move. When it became clear that he was leaving Juventus, and other clubs also wanted him, I got excited. They [United] asked me if we should try to get him. I said yes.”
The former coach continued to explain. “It didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for Cristiano, but it was the right decision at the time.”