Ole Solskjaer Remarks on Cristiano Ronaldo Acknowledging Aging
The Norwegian talked with Gary Neville and gave his point of view about Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United.
Two Manchester United legends, Ole Solskjaer and Gary Neville, met, talked, and reminisced about their time together in the British team. However, they had a special conversation about when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the team and why, making it clear that the Portuguese, over the years, was realizing that age was starting to be a factor for him and his performance.
Solskjaer also confessed that, during his time on the "Red Devils" bench, Cristiano Ronaldo's signing was one of the most exciting, challenging, and impactful of recent years, making it clear that it was the right decision but didn't yield the expected results. "For me, it didn't work, and for Cristiano either, but it was the right decision at the time," he said.
On the other hand, he also commented that the team had to make many changes and adapt to the arrival of the Portuguese star because it was of such magnitude that there was no other option. "We were one of the teams
that pressed the most before Cristiano arrived. At the time, we let go of Daniel James when Cristiano entered, and they are two different types of players. I thought it was the right decision for me, but it didn't turn out to
be correct," said the Norwegian coach.
However, the really complicated task for Solskjaer was managing minutes for the Portuguese, as he wanted to manage himself but also play as many minutes as possible. "Cristiano, when you know him and talk to him,
wanted to play three out of four games, but he realized that he is also aging. But when you leave him on the bench once, he's not happy. Part of signing Cristiano Ronaldo was to bring out that passion in him, but that had
complications. You have Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial, who can learn from Cristiano because he is the best, the most disciplined, and has been the best player in the world, and you think he will help them. When he came to the club, he told me to start him for three consecutive games and then bench him in the fourth game, but he is so passionate that when I did, he didn't like it," he commented.
Currently, Cristiano remains one of the most iconic players in the world and one of the best in the history of football. With Al-Nassr, he will seek to continue making history and scoring goals, making it clear that age will cease to be an impediment to being one of the best in the world until he decides otherwise.
