The frustration that Cristiano Ronaldo felt about Manchester United, which ultimately led to his departure from Old Trafford, was warranted in some of his opinions.
Mike Phelan, a former assistant coach with the Red Devils, is of the belief that this is the case. Phelan mentored the 39-year-old player throughout his two stints at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Portuguese striker had departed the team in 2009, after having spent six magnificent years with the club. However, in 2021, he delighted United fans by signing for the club once more after leaving Juventus.
His return was immediately overshadowed by a bitter internal fight, which meant that it was not going to be the fairy tale that so many people had hoped for.
The Red Devils finished in a disappointing sixth position in the 2021/22 season, which is a result of Ronaldo’s failure to make an influence that was largely good at the club.
It was the first time in Ronaldo’s career that he had not won at least one prize in a season, and it occurred during the 2010 season.
He would go on to miss the club’s pre-season tour for the 2022/23 season, and the dispute between him and new manager Erik ten Hag would escalate as the campaign progressed. This was all due to the fact that resentment continued to grow during the season.
It was Ronaldo’s landmark interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV in November 2022 that was the final straw. In that interview, Ronaldo leveled a number of claims against the club, stating that he felt ‘betrayed’ by the organization.
The fact that the club had not made any progress during his absence from 2009 to 2021 was one of the charges that he leveled against it.
Phelan, who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson and later under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, agreed that Ronaldo was not wrong in some of his views, particularly when it came to his allegations regarding the lack of growth at the club. He made this admission when speaking on the White & Jordan show.
The statement was made by Phelan to talkSPORT. “I do think he had a point,” In no uncertain terms, there were aspects of the training ground that were worn out.
When it comes to players, he requires a lot of maintenance… tremendous standards, enormous standards. It is clear that he earned a great deal of experience while playing for Manchester United, and after leaving, he gained even more.
If you were to return, everyone would anticipate more. Your goal is to adapt to the changing times. During the early stages of his time at United, I don’t believe he was aware of that.
However, when we brought him back, he ought to have been able to observe the emotions that were present in the area and among the players. Players of the highest caliber in that locker room simply desired to have him present; they desired to have him.
Making the decision to bring a player of world-class caliber into that dressing room was an extraordinary one. And there was a tremendous response from the supporters. Quite an impressive lift was seen. Simply put, I believe that (his time spent with the club) has come to an end.
In addition, he stated, “I have no doubt that he would have taken a look at it and thought that this is quite different from what he anticipated.”
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