Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted Manchester United’s problems are not caused by new manager Ruben Amorim and believes he could fix them if he were the club’s owner. Ronaldo has notably positioned himself as the man to solve United’s ongoing issues, discussing his ambition to one day own the club.
Amorim has lost five of his 10 games in charge of United, including four of his last five in the Premier League, and ahead of the next game against Newcastle United he said his job was not secure. However Ronaldo, who has scored 145 goals in two spells at United and has been critical of the club’s ownership in recent years, says his countryman is not to blame.
“The Premier League is the toughest league in the world,” Ronaldo, now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, said at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday.
“All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the players are strong. Football is different now. There is no easy game anymore.
“I said this a year and a half ago, and I’ll continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches.
“It’s like an aquarium. If you have a fish inside and it’s sick and you take it out and you fix the problem and you put it back in the aquarium, it’s going to get sick again.”
“Manchester United has the same problem. The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that. If I become the owner of the club, I will clarify things and adjust what I find bad there.”
Ronaldo was particularly critical of the Glazers in his 2022 interview, accusing them of failing to invest in the club. He highlighted the poor facilities at Manchester United, which he claimed were far inferior to other top European clubs.
Since then, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken control of football operations after becoming co-owner in February. Ratcliffe has reportedly made “major changes” off the pitch, including establishing a clear hierarchy above the head coach and implementing significant cost-cutting measures.
Ronaldo’s comments came after he hinted at ownership of a “big club” in the near future.
He said, “I’m not a coach. I’ll never be a coach or a club president? No. Maybe a club owner.” “It will depend on the moment, the right opportunity.”