Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has acknowledged that the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021 significantly altered Manchester United’s style of play.
Ronaldo made a remarkable comeback to Old Trafford three years ago, outmaneuvering Manchester City to secure a deal, and stayed with the club for 18 months before relocating to Saudi Arabia in January 2023.
- Solskjaer reveals Cristiano Ronaldo ‘asked to skip games’ – then kicked off when on bench
- Erling Haaland settles Lionel Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate
- Osimhen has already dropped Man Utd transfer hint as release clause confirmed
The Portuguese striker had a promising start, netting twice in his debut against Newcastle United, followed by another goal in a 2-1 victory against West Ham United the following week.
However, the situation soon soured as Ronaldo’s demeanor began to disrupt his rapport with Solskjaer. The first signs emerged after a 1-1 draw with Everton in October 2021 when the 39-year-old swiftly exited down the tunnel after the final whistle.
Limited primarily to substitute appearances in his final months at the club, it became evident that Ronaldo needed to depart for both the club’s and his own benefit.
Looking back on his decision to sign the forward, Solskjaer said: “It was a very quick decision. We didn’t think Cristiano was available and that he was going to move. When it became apparent that he was leaving Juventus, obviously there were other clubs that wanted him – but I was excited.
“They [United] asked me, ‘Would you want us to try this?’. I said yes – obviously we know Cristiano is quality, and he’s 37, but we have to manage – he’s the best goal scorer in the world. It didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for Cristiano, but it was the right decision at the time.”
On how his arrival affected the playing style, Solskjaer added: “We started off straight away thinking how we are going to press and change the little tweaks. Cristiano is different to Antony Martial who was up front, or whether we would play Mason [Greenwood] or Marcus [Rashford] up front.
“Edinson Cavani was the one that suffered the most when Cristiano came in – we’d played and got Edinson into a certain way of understanding the way we played.
“Cristiano – when you know him and speak to him, he wanted to play three out of four games, he realised he’s getting older as well. But when you leave him out once, he’s not happy!
“With the ball, with him in the team, it was no problem. Without him [pressing], we had to change a little bit the different roles we’d gotten used to. We were one of the highest pressing teams before [Ronaldo joined]. We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players. It was the right decision to make for me – it didn’t turn out to be the right one.”
“Part of signing Cristiano Ronaldo was getting that passion from him, but that did have its complications. You’ve got Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, who can learn from Cristiano as he’s the best, the most disciplined and he’s been the best player in the world, and you think he’s going to help them.
“When he arrived at the club, he told me to start him for three games in a row, and then put me on the bench for the fourth game, but he’s so passionate so when I did that, he didn’t like it.”
On how he views his relationship with the Portuguese, Solskjaer told the Overlap: “When I was manager of Manchester United, I can’t remember too many problems from Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It was the game against Everton when he walked straight off the pitch after I brought him on as a substitute, but there were more problems with him after I had left the club.
“I had a good relationship with Cristiano and there’s loads of respect between us. I think he behaved really well in his disappointments when I was there.”
