Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a shock Cristiano Ronaldo admission as he opened up for the first time since being sacked by the club.
He admitted that the although decision to sign Ronaldo felt right, it turned out to be wrong.
Read: Why Kane didn't join EPL giants 'revealed'
"It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong. 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," the former Red Devils boss told The Athletic.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner re-signed for the club at the beginning of the 2021/22 season but the dream quickly turned in to a nightmare when United decided to part ways with Solskjaer after a run of bad results, ultimately finishing the Premier League campaign in 6th position under then interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
In the following season, Ronaldo and the cub agreed to end his contract early, following a fall out with current manager Erik ten Hag and an explosive, tell-all interview with Piers Morgan.
The Norwegian manager also mentioned how his tenure at United was made more difficult because of the side's inability to land the players he shortlisted.
"We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club.
"[Players like] Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then.
"Brighton are very good at letting players come from abroad and find their feet for a year and a half. At United, you don’t have that luxury and that has cost the club loads of players.
"We wanted Jude Bellingham badly — he’s a Man United player, but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible. But it’s why I respect Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dan James and Jadon. Young players prepared to come into a team that wasn’t 100 per cent there like it was when I arrived," Solskjaer added.
"I would have signed Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come. But the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from Covid-19, there was no bottomless pit."
Read: Man City rally back to avoid surprise UCL loss
The Norwegian wished Ten Hag success in his role and added that he hopes the Dutch manager can break the cycle of a new manager coming in and doing well before things take a dip, leading to the manager being sacked within a couple of years.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH:
