‘Signing Cristiano Ronaldo again was the right thing to do‘ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lifts lid on C-Ron's second Manchester United move

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells FourFourTwo he believes the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo during his tenure as the Manchester United manager was the right call

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the first of his three goals for Manchester United in their 3-2 win at Tottenham in 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Man Utd for a second tenure (Image credit: Getty Images)

Former Manchester United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has maintained that bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford was still the right thing to do.

During the 2019 transfer window, the Norwegian did the unthinkable and managed to secure the signature of Ronaldo from Juventus.

The superstar scored 24 goals across all competitions in his first season back at Man Utd, but the wheels started to fall off in the second season after Solskjaer was sacked and Erik ten Hag was eventually brought in after a caretaker spell by Ralf Rangnick.

Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was let go and replaced by Ralf Rangnick (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ronaldo eventually left to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia after being released from his contract following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, but Solskjaer, speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, reiterates that he has no regrets. 

“We never wanted him to go to City,” Solskjaer says of Ronaldo. “We’d had four wins and a draw, and were top of the league in September 2021. Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho joined, then we made that next step by signing Cristiano. 

“It felt right. It didn’t turn out right, but it was the sensible thing to do at the time. He was available and still top level.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr, December 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo now plays in the Saudi Pro League (Image credit: Getty Images)

“He made his second debut against Newcastle and that was one of the most electric days at Old Trafford ever – he scored two goals. He deserved that chance to come back. He got 24 goals in that first season. He deserves more credit than what he’s got. He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong for us.”

Ronaldo signed from the Old Lady in a deal worth around £12million. He was the top-scorer for the side in his first season but could only manage three goals in his second term. Unhappy with not being chosen and the side languishing in the league, Ronaldo opted to accept Piers Morgan’s invite for an exclusive interview, where he criticised the team, as well as Ten Hag. 

Manchester United released him from his contract soon after and he joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

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Jacque Talbot
Jacque Talbot

Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.

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