Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, former manager of Manchester United, has opened up about the internal discussions that took place before the club made the decision to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021.

Solskjaer, who managed the team for three years, was sacked in November 2021 after a humiliating 4-1 loss to Watford.

Despite this, he still holds a strong sense of pride for many of his decisions during his tenure at Old Trafford.

The Concerns About Ronaldo’s Return

A pivotal moment in Solskjaer’s time at United was the re-signing of Ronaldo from Juventus for £19.8 million, despite the player being 35 years old.

While the return was initially seen as a triumph, with Ronaldo scoring twice in his second debut against Newcastle, it quickly became clear that the reunion wasn’t as successful as hoped.

Fast forward to November 2022, and Ronaldo’s contract was terminated following a public fallout with the club’s new manager, Erik ten Hag.

Reflecting on the decision, Solskjaer revealed that Kieran McKenna, his assistant at the time and now the manager of Ipswich Town, had reservations about bringing Ronaldo back.

Solskjaer recalled how McKenna had analyzed Ronaldo’s last six games with Juventus and, after reviewing the data, he had a different concern.

According to Solskjaer, McKenna asked, “How are we going to defend ourselves?” highlighting a greater need to strengthen other areas of the team rather than focus on the attack.

Solskjaer’s Regret and Reflections on His Tenure

Looking back, Solskjaer admitted that the decision to bring Ronaldo back was likely a mistake, even though it felt right at the time.

“It was probably a wrong choice for all of us,” Solskjaer confessed.

“But we felt it was the right decision then and there.”

Despite this, Solskjaer took pride in his efforts at United, noting that the club had made significant progress under his leadership, even if silverware was elusive.

One of the biggest disappointments for Solskjaer came in 2021, when his United side reached the Europa League final against Villarreal.

Unfortunately, United lost in a heart-wrenching penalty shootout, a match that was watched by only 9,000 fans in the Gdansk Stadium in Poland.

Solskjaer admitted that the loss was a painful moment in his career, but he also expressed pride in his overall work at the club.

“I am proud of what I did,” he said. “I think it was a lot of good, and we were on our way to something very good.”

While his tenure didn’t result in trophies, Solskjaer was encouraged by the progress the team had made, finishing third and second in the Premier League and reaching several semi-finals.

“If we had won that final, it could have been a completely different outcome,” he reflected.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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