Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he shouldn’t have signed this player for Manchester United
Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has acknowledged he was wrong to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United.
“It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong,” Solskjaer said in an interview with The Athletic.
“It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking [after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].
“He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong.”
Solskjaer also said he sympathises with current Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag who is under pressure after a poor start to the season.
“I know what he’s going through. It’s a dream job, but it’s difficult,” Solskjaer said.
“You’re dealing with humans with all their problems and backgrounds — this isn’t a computer simulation. But most [players] are good professionals who want to do well. Some think about number one first, most think of the club.”
“The expectations are very high but we can’t live in the same era as when I played,” he said. “We had Arsenal and Chelsea as rivals towards the end. Now, most teams have money or even if they don’t, they don’t need to sell.
“Back then, Wayne [Rooney] and Cristiano were the best young players and we signed them. Now, United can’t just go and buy [Brighton striker] Evan Ferguson.
“We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club. We wanted Jude Bellingham badly — he’s a Man United [type of] player, but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible.
“I would have signed Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come. But the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from COVID-19, there was no bottomless pit.”
Solskjaer was sacked as Manchester United boss after a 4-1 drubbing at Watford nearly two years ago — a performance Solskjaer said he knew would result in him losing his job.
“Nobody told me, but I knew at half-time against Watford,” he said. “We didn’t look like a Man United team; the players weren’t running for each other. At halftime, I told the players it was probably going to be the last time we worked together and to play with pride.
“We almost turned it around, until Harry Maguire got sent off.”