Earlier in the week, Daily Star reported that Cristiano Ronaldo issued an ultimatum to the Manchester United hierarchy to appoint a manager who he feels comfortable with or he leaves.
Following the report, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been told to keep his mouth shut as his comments could become an even bigger problem in the Old Trafford dressing room.
The 36-year-old only rejoined the club where he became a global superstar only a few months ago in order to begin a grand exit to his illustrious career. He and the club, however, have not had the best time together despite his stellar performance leading the attack for them.
He signed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was fired a few months into his Old Trafford return. Michael Carrick took over as caretaker for three weeks, and now, Ronaldo will have to see off the rest of the season with Ralf Rangnick.
The former Red Bull Leipzig manager is serving in an interim capacity and could be considered for a permanent role if he meets the hierarchy’s criteria after the season ends. Ronaldo is reportedly not in favour of this decision.
Otherwise, the German will be moving upstairs to a consultancy role after his interim stint is over and this means a new coach will lead the Red Devils into the 2022/23 season.
And Ronaldo, who signed for Manchester United in the summer for two seasons, has threatened to leave the club if the new manager is someone he does not approve of.
Ronaldo’s ultimatum annoying many
This report follows a story from the Mirror which claims that as many as 11 first team players are looking for a way out of Old Trafford as they are unhappy with the way the club is being run currently under Rangnick, who will still be in the picture after his interim manager tenure expires.
The Real Madrid top scorer is looking forward to winning more titles with United and has not been happy about how his second stint at the club is going.
He has taken to social media a few times to express his disappointment, and even showed it on the pitch a number of times. His latest sentiments, however, do not sit well with a lot of people.
Former England international Trevor Sinclair blasted the 36-year-old for his comments while speaking to talkSPORT. Sinclair played for Manchester City, who came close to signing Ronaldo before United hijacked the deal, in his day.
Sinclair opined that City “dodged a bullet” following the controversies Ronaldo’s presence at Old Trafford has caused, while telling him to keep his mouth shut.
“I’m starting to think that Manchester City dodged a bullet by not signing Cristiano, I really think that,” he told talkSPORT.
“You look at some of the players that are struggling for form at Manchester United, young players, Sancho, Rashford, they’re really struggling for good performances.
“Of course you can [blame Ronaldo for that]. Know your role, know your role. You’re a footballer, you’re hired by the football club.
“Keep your mouth shut because at times that’s the best thing to do. He’s causing a lot of problems at the football club.
“Not just his lack of goals in recent times, but the fact that Ole’s gone and Michael went in and dropped him for a game.”
Signing Ronaldo has not worked out for United, says Sinclair
Ronaldo is famously known for going after his personal goals with a one-track mind, even being accused of making teams play for him by former teammates.
Sinclair also brought up the issue in his discussion with talkSPORT, questioning if the Portugal captain has United’s best interests at heart and isn’t just using them as a stepping stone for his own ambitions.
“I just feel it’s been one of those signings where it looked good, but it’s far from good,” Sinclair added.
“For me, one of the reasons I think he may not have considered Manchester City, and it’s certainly not winning trophies because he would have won a lot of silverware there.
“I think it’s because he didn’t want to be second fiddle to Pep. Whereas he could go into Manchester United, he could almost feel like he could bully Ole.
“And I think he just wants to do what he wants for him and it’s not the best for the club.”
