According to Jamie Carragher, Manchester United made a mistake in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford last summer. The Liverpool club legend believes that the Red Devils make an even bigger mistake when they keep the 37-year-old attacker next season, he writes in his column The Telegraph† Carragher draws a comparison with Ruud van Nistelrooij, who was pushed aside by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2006 at the age of 29.
Although he has struggled with his form lately, Ronaldo is currently United’s top goalscorer with 15 goals in 28 official games. Last Tuesday, his first goal of 2022 resulted in a hard-fought win over Brighton & Hove Albion (2-0). Despite Ronaldo’s drive to score goals, United’s performances have been disappointing this season. The team of interim manager Ralf Rangnick is currently in fourth place, twenty points behind leaders Manchester City.
Despite this, Carragher does not support United’s choice to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. “United made a mistake by signing Ronaldo last summer. The mistake will be even bigger if he is allowed to stay another year,” said the former professional footballer. “I know how controversial that sounds. It’s easy to list Ronaldo’s many great qualities that make him one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen. He remains an ultimate goalscorer.”
Last year, according to Carragher, United proved they could score without him. United scored 121 goals in all competitions in the 2020/21 season, their highest total in 14 years. “That’s because they were more balanced back then,” continues Carragher. “No player is bigger than the club. And no one knew that better than Sir Alex Ferguson, who sold Ruud van Nistelrooij in 2006 because he felt the striker’s personal appetite for goals inhibited the progress of younger, up-and-coming teammates.” Carragher claims that Ronaldo of all people reaped the benefits of Van Nistelrooij’s departure at the time.
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