Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo has slammed his former club and defended the slow start of his compatriot Ruben Amorim.
The former Sporting CP coach, who played alongside Ronaldo for the Portuguese national team, has lost five of his first ten matches since moving to Old Trafford in November. This is it worst start by any United boss in the last 90 years.
Amorim, as Ronaldo was quick to point out, took over a club that had been mired in mediocrity for years. During his first spell at Manchester under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo won nine major trophies and won the Ballon d’Or in 2008. However, his second term ended in disgrace, leaving the club after public falling out with then manager Erika ten Haag at the end of 2022.
Ten Hag was fired earlier this season with United languishing in 14th place. After six weeks under Amorim, the Red Devils remain in exactly the same position. “[The] The Premier League, it’s the hardest league in the world,” Ronaldo said at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai on Friday.
“All teams are good, all teams are fighting, all teams are running, all teams are strong. Football is different now. There are no more easy games.”
Ronaldo drew a not-so-flattering – and somewhat confusing – analogy to explain United’s current state: “I said this a year and a half ago, and I’ll keep saying it: the problem isn’t the coaches, it’s like… I always give this example… that is like an aquarium if you have a fish in there and it is sick and you take it out and fix the problem and put it back in the aquarium, you will be sick again.
“The problem with Manchester United is the same. It’s not always the coach who is the problem. It’s much more than that.”
The 39-year-old, who still plays for the Saudi Arabian Premier League, is not quite done with his playing career, but he stressed that his footballing talent is not limited to the boundaries of the field. “If I am the owner of the club,” Ronaldo said, “I will clarify things and correct the things that are bad there.” Unfortunately for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Portuguese striker has not worked out his big plan to save United.
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