Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United should not have brought Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not just one of the finest players to ever represent Manchester United, but also amongst the greatest to ever play the game. Despite turning 37, the Portuguese international continues to impress and is among the finest players in Europe.
Ronaldo has arguably been the Red Devils’ best player this season and with 15 goals in 27 games, leads the club’s scoring charts across all competitions. There is a case to be made that the the club could have been worse off without him.
That is, however, not a sentiment that everyone shares. According to The Telegraph, Jamie Carragher believes otherwise and argues that the Red Devils erred in bringing back Ronaldo last summer. The Liverpool legend adds that the Red Devils will be making an even bigger mistake should they keep Ronaldo on for the 2022/23 campaign.
“United made a mistake re-signing Ronaldo last summer,” Carragher argued. “It will be a bigger one keeping him next season.”
Carragher believes that Manchester United showed balance last season and were a better all-round outfit without Ronaldo. The Red Devils scored 121 goals in all competitions in 2020/21, their best return in 14 years. The same cannot be said of the current campaign, with the team not hitting the same heights often.
“United scored 121 in all competitions in 2020-21, their highest tally for 14 years,” said Carragher. “That is because they were a more balanced, unified team than now.”
There is little doubt that Ronaldo is a fantastic player and, more often than not, a match-winner all on his own. But sentiment aside, Carragher has a point when he says that the club has become more Ronaldo-centric this season. This largely took the focus away from the collective unit and made them more predictable in the final third.
Re-signing Ronaldo will certainly have struck a chord with the fans but could hamper the development of those around him. Jadon Sancho has been largely woeful, while the talented Amad Diallo has since been loaned out. The 37-year-old’s legacy at the Theatre of Dreams is intact but bringing him back was more of a throwback to the old days rather than a team focused on building for the future.
“If his United reunion is limited to one season, letting him go will solve more problems than it creates,” said Carragher.
The Portuguese ace has one year left on his deal with the option of a further third. It isn’t easy to see the club part ways with Ronaldo in the summer as things stand. While Carragher’s comments can be downplayed, the Red Devils will do well to listen to him even if they might not act on the suggestions. Manchester United have to ensure that the team’s needs come first over any individual, no matter how reputed.
It depends from which point of view you take, as a football decision it was a huge mistake because the system Man Utd play relies on speed which he now lacks but from the owners point of view he has been a huge commercial success. How long this lasts for will be dependent on Man Utd finishing in the top four because if they don’t, he will be gone.