Man Utd legend hints Cristiano Ronaldo could make bombshell Old Trafford return despite bitter exit
ONE of Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammates has hinted that the legendary bagsman could make a spectacular return to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo’s second spell at United had a sour ending as the star saw his contract terminated by the club after a bombshell interview with Pier Morgan.
Ronaldo, who now plays his football at Al-Nassr, is still bagging the goals despite hurtling towards the age of 40.
And the 39-year-old veteran even confessed that he still loves the club in a recent interview with Rio Ferdinand.
But with things ending so badly during his 2022 exit and an ongoing war of words with current boss Erik ten Hag, a return to the Theatre of Dreams feels unlikely.
However, former United teammate Wes Brown has suggested that Ronaldo could return to the Manchester club one more time to try and make amends for how things were left.
Speaking to BoyleSports, Brown backed the Portuguese powerhouse to have a final swan song in some capacity in the future.
He said: “When it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United in some capacity you can never say never.
“Obviously when he left the second time we were all disappointed because he had been one of United’s best ever players.
“It was disappointing how it ended and I think he could return to try and make amends for the sour ending.
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“Even in his first season back at the club he scored over 20 goals. I think the exit was a bit over the top but for him to come back in some way. I’d love it.”
Ronaldo has taken aim at the current state of Man Utd in recent weeks, suggesting that the club needs to “rebuild everything”.
While he also appeared to slam Erik ten Hag for not having the right mentality to win things at United.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ronaldo said: “As I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion.
“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League.
“[As] Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League.
“You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
Ronaldo's rollercoaster return to Man Utd
By JOSHUA HALL
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the Theatre of Dreams in 2021 after some 12 years away from the club where he first rose to fame.
It looked like a fairytale return for one of the games’ greatest ever players, but things soon turned sour at the Manchester club.
Ronaldo arrived for less than £20m and walked back into Premier League football like he had never left, netting 18 goals and registering three assists in his first league campaign back.
That run saw him top United’s list of scorers for the season thanks to hat-tricks against Spurs and Norwich and a number of crucial last minute goals.
But things took a turn in his second season as he fell out of favour after the arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag.
Despite his impressive return in the previous season many fans and media outlets were claiming that his overall influence on the team was detrimental to results.
Things got even worse when Ronaldo refused to come on against Spurs in October 2022, prompting Ten Hag to drop him from the squad for the following game against Chelsea.
While it was also reported that Ronaldo had left Old Trafford early following the interaction with his boss.
The final straw was an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which Ronaldo took aim at Ten Hag, Man Utd’s culture and hinted about a potential exit.
That exit shortly followed as Ronaldo saw his contract with Man Utd terminated in November 2022.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner penned a mega money deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, bringing an end to a tumultuous second spell with Man Utd.
Ten Hag launched a spikey rebuttal to the quotes, suggesting that Ronaldo is the one saying that Man Utd aren’t good enough to compete for the biggest trophies.
He said: “He [Ronaldo] said that Manchester United can’t win the Premier League. He said this if you read the article very well.
Adding: “[It] doesn’t impact me, I know in the process where we are, where we’re going.”
Ten Hag and Ronaldo have history from Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford in 2022.
In fact, Ronaldo lasted less than half a season under the former Ajax boss when he played under him during his return to Man Utd.