IAN LADYMAN: Man United must learn from the disaster of bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo

Who was it who signed Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United the second time around?

Sir Alex Ferguson played a part in bringing him back to Old Trafford. So did former team-mate Rio Ferdinand. Both men spoke to Ronaldo the night before he agreed the move from Juventus at the start of last season.

Ed Woodward, outgoing chief executive at the time, also told people he had used his relationship with Jorge Mendes to get the deal done.

Then Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford

But what about manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Would he have chosen Ronaldo? Did he really think a 36-year-old with his physical powers on the wane would benefit his team? Was he even involved? The answer to all that is less clear.

Now that the Ronaldo experiment has been shown up for the great gamble that it really was, it is pertinent to consider all this. 

It is hoped that United — in its updated guise as a grown up football organisation — has realised the great folly of it all.

Ronaldo cut a rather desperate figure in his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan (right)

Ronaldo cut a rather desperate figure sitting in that chair opposite Piers Morgan last week. He looked and sounded a little sad and has ruined his United legacy for ever.

But for United there is much to learn. 

They have already handed their new coach Erik ten Hag licence to choose the players he feels suits the way he wishes to play and that already seems a much better way for them.

Ronaldo has endured some memorable moments in a United shirt but doesn’t look set to return to the club after the World Cup

Sir Alex Ferguson (left) helped engineer Ronaldo’s return alongside Solskjaer (right) in 2021

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