Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Manchester United only brought Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford to prevent him from joining their rivals.
The Portuguese superstar made a sensational return to the Red Devils in the summer of 2021, returning to Old Trafford from Juventus 12 years after his record-breaking move to Real Madrid.
However, United weren't the only club courting Ronaldo that summer - cross-town rivals Manchester City were also reportedly close to securing his signature.
But United managed to snatch Ronaldo from under City's nose. Now, former United manager Solskjaer has confirmed that the threat of Ronaldo joining City was a significant factor in their decision to re-sign him.
Solskjaer also conceded that the seasoned forward would have been a huge hit at the Etihad Stadium - but his comments suggesting Ronaldo had a negative impact on the squad at United won't go down too well with his old team-mate.
Speaking at the Oslo Business Forum, he said: "Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players in the world the last 15 years. I played with him. He played for Manchester United.
??????️ "Maybe other players felt less important"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 27, 2024
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that in hindsight, signing Cristiano Ronaldo may have been a mistake during his time at the club ?????? pic.twitter.com/LnKQ36KEcx
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"He has history with the club and he's leaving Juventus but we can not give him to Manchester City because he will score more goals than Erling Haaland is doing at the moment probably.
"So I speak to Cristiano. We get him to Man United but I think maybe that affected the whole dressing room, the dynamic in the dressing room."
Solskjaer argues that Ronaldo's arrival at United may have had a negative impact on the rest of the squad.
He added: "Maybe other players felt less important because of course this is one of the world superstars that comes in. He did well.
"He was top scorer that year, scored 24 goals or something, but I was out of the job 10 weeks later!"
Ronaldo's second spell at United was a mixed bag, with 24 goals in his first season but just three the following campaign after falling out with Erik ten Hag, leading to his departure for Al-Nassr.
Solskjaer had previously expressed doubts about signing Ronaldo, saying: "It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong."
He added: "It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking [after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].
"He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong."
