Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced Cristiano Ronaldo’s return last summer would bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, according to reports. However, the Portugal international now faces the prospect of being frozen out by Erik ten Hag after his strop against Tottenham on Wednesday night. The 37-year-old was livid at being left on the bench and refused to come on when instructed to in the closing stages.
Manchester United opted against selling Ronaldo back in the summer transfer window, despite the veteran’s desire to leave following the club’s failure to secure Champions League football.
And he has endured a difficult time at Old Trafford in the short period since, starting just two Premier League matches and netting twice across all competitions in the process.
Ronaldo was left out of Ten Hag’s starting XI against Tottenham on Wednesday night and, when asked to come on late in the game, flatly refused.
Now, according to The Athletic, Ferguson was convinced Ronaldo’s return from Juventus last summer would usher in another era of success.
However, it seems like the Scot’s judgement was wrong with the club’s No 7 now facing the prospect of being left out in the cold as United plan for a brighter future.
Initially, in 2021, it appeared as though Ronaldo would be on the move to Manchester City.
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The reigning Premier League champions were sniffing about the star after missing out on Harry Kane, with Tottenham pricing them out of a deal for the forward.
Ronaldo was open to moving to the Etihad Stadium, despite previously spending six years at Old Trafford earlier in his career.
But Ferguson, along with the likes of Patrice Evra, Bruno Fernandes and Rio Ferdinand, helped persuade the forward into moving to United instead.
He was a shining light last term, netting 24 goals across all competitions as the club toiled under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Yet after requesting to leave United back in the summer transfer window, he’s been unable to recover.
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Ronaldo was linked with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli throughout various stages of the summer.
But United flatly refused to let him go, though Ten Hag was open to cutting him loose following a 4-0 defeat to Brentford back in August.
Ronaldo’s return promised so much, especially given the clamour for it to happen.
Yet it’s clear he’s now the odd one out under Ten Hag, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both ahead of him in the Dutchman’s pecking order.
Ronaldo could be allowed to leave United when the transfer window reopens in January in the wake of his latest show of defiance.
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But there’s no guarantee a club will come in for the former Juventus and Real Madrid star, especially given his wages of £400,000-a-week.
Ronaldo has taken a thinly-veiled dig at United in a statement, where he recognised sometimes the ‘heat of the moment gets to us’ but also suggested he wasn’t being shown enough respect.
It appears things are now heading for an ugly divorce as the relationship between both player and manager worsens behind the scenes.
Former United star Peter Schmeichel, meanwhile, was among those to condemn Ronaldo after his strop against Tottenham on Wednesday night.
The Denmark international said: “It’s the first time I can say that I am disappointed with him. Normally I back him, I understand his situation.”
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And he added: “We are in transition. Manchester United are now five managers down the road since Alex Ferguson.
“We have got Erik ten Hag in now who has very clear ideas about the way he wants to play football. We need understanding and time from everyone.
“We don’t need distractions like that, and that’s a disappointment, I would say.”
Ronaldo won’t be involved when United face off against Chelsea on Saturday night (5.30pm).
He was benched for the same fixture at Stamford Bridge last term, coming on in a 1-1 draw that was overseen by Michael Carrick.
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