Manchester United would be on their way back to former glory had Cristiano Ronaldo stayed at the club instead of being released, Graeme Souness says.
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Ronaldo scored 27 goals in second Man Utd spellStar forward left after controversial interviewSouness says Red Devils should have kept himWHAT HAPPENED?
Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford from Juventus in August 2021 and scored 27 goals in all competitions before he had his contract terminated in January 2023 following a controversial interview in which he criticised the club and coach Erik ten Hag. United managed to finish third in the Premier League that season but have struggled to compete again in 2023-24, and ex-Liverpool player and coach Souness believes they would be better off had they kept Ronaldo.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT SOUNESS SAID
"I drop this at every opportunity, you need good senior pros," he said on . "I think we had a disagreement about Ronaldo being the ultimate professional in terms of timekeeping, the way he trained, the way he looked after himself. I think they should have kept him. I think the conversation should have been prior to him arriving at the club: 'Listen, the things I've just said, this is what I want you to be. You're my man in there. I want everyone to aspire to have your standards, and if you do that for me, we'll be going places.'"
He added: "Surely Ronaldo at 37, you say to him: 'Your best days are behind you but you can still play a big part, I'll give you enough game time (because scoring goals is important to him), but you can help me build this club back to where it was'. You just couldn't name a better example in the dressing room and around the place."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Ronaldo is starring with Al-Nassr and leading their challenge for the Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League titles, United and Ten Hag have endured an inconsistent campaign so far. They are seventh in the Premier League and 11 points off the top-four places, while they have also already crashed out of Europe.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED AND RONALDO?
Ten Hag and his Red Devils are still competing in the Premier League and FA Cup – coming up against Newport in the fourth round of the latter on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is set to come head-to-head with his old rival Lionel Messi when Al-Nassr take on Inter Miami in a friendly next week.