WHY IT ALL WENT RON
Irish Daily Mirror|September 13, 2023
Ex-Reds coach Phelan believes Ronaldo's United return was doomed as he was so shocked by the fall in standards
DAVID MCDONNELL
WHY IT ALL WENT RON

CRISTIANO RONALDO'S return to Manchester United was doomed because he could not handle players failing to reach his high standards, according to Mike Phelan.

Former United assistant boss Phelan worked with Ronaldo in both the forward's spells at Old Trafford, and reckoned his much-heralded return failed because of the superstar's ego and strong will.

Ronaldo, 38, left by mutual consent 10 months ago after giving an explosive interview in which he said he had no respect for boss Erik ten Hag and felt "betrayed" by the club. The Portuguese icon scored 145 goals in 346 games in his two spells at the Reds, but could not accept the drop in standards he encountered when he returned in 2020 after 12 years away.

"The second time round, he came in a lot older and a lot more opinionated, strong-willed," said Phelan (with Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, above right).

"He still had massively high standards and was terrific to work with. But I would probably say a tougher mindset.

Denne historien er fra September 13, 2023-utgaven av Irish Daily Mirror.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 13, 2023-utgaven av Irish Daily Mirror.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.