Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted 'it was very difficult to turn down' the chance to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United - but the decision 'turned out wrong' as 'egos' lost him the job.
The Portuguese star returned for a second spell at Old Trafford amid enormous hype in August 2021 but Solskjaer was fired as manager just three months later.
It was widely believed at the time that Ronaldo, who cost £12.85million from Juventus, was signed at the behest of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward without Solskjaer's input.
The Norwegian coach had to fit Ronaldo into his side, though the forward performed well during his first season back, scoring 24 times.
Solskjaer, who hasn't taken another management job in almost two years since his dismissal, said egos came to the fore during a disastrous run of results that cost him his position.
'The club he found in November 2021 was different from September 2021,' Solskjaer added.
'I told him when I gave my opinion on every player. Things had soured, the collective had been lost and that's not Man United, where teams are built on the collective.
'Some players felt they should've played more and weren't constructive to the environment. That's a huge win for me. When I didn't start games, I wanted to prove to the manager he'd made the wrong decision.
'Now, a lot of players aren't like that. Agents and family members get into their heads and tell them they're better than they are because they have a vested interest. It's a disease of modern football.'
Solskjaer revealed that some players rejected the opportunity to be United's captain.
'Some weren't as good as their own perception of themselves. I won't name names, but I was disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain,' he said.
'I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn't play or train because they wanted to force their way out.'
A 2-0 home defeat to Manchester City in which United were completely outclassed and a miserable 4-1 loss at Watford in which Harry Maguire was sent off sealed Solskjaer's fate.
Ralf Rangnick took over as interim manager for the remainder of that 2021-22 season and was astonished at what he found.
Rumawa
532
This penalty box merchant cost Ole his job.
SteveBillionaire
409
As usual, use Cristiano Ronaldo picture and get people reading the article, the Pink fans on the other hand, won't read, they will start showing their emotional hate... 😜 😜 😜
JoyNg01
280
I observed that CR7 is looking younger and happier now than when he was in Man United👌 They should keep his name out of their mouth…Since he was their problem when he was at the club… Now even when the so called problem is gone, they still can’t go a day without mentioning his name😒😒 Let the Fvcking GOAT be!!🐐❤️❤️🩹
Yenabcnt
111
Solskjaer, You are actually the one that cost yourself Man United Job🤷, You came into the Club everything was moving fine but immediately they made you the head coach that was when you started feeling that you owned the Club, Okay imagine this, Just six months you buy Maguire you made him the Captain🤷, that was how your problem started 🤙🚶🚶🚶 We know that Manchester United is going through alot right now but we are still the RED DEVIL 🇰🇬🇰🇬🇰🇬 we will never give👑
carolineMed
8
Solskjaer, You are actually the one that cost yourself Man United Job🤷, You came into the Club everything was moving fine but immediately they made you the head coach that was when you started feeling that you owned the Club, Okay imagine this, Just six months you buy Maguire you made him the Captain🤷, that was how your problem started 🤙🚶🚶🚶 We know that Manchester United is going through alot right now but we are still the RED DEVIL 🇰🇬🇰🇬🇰🇬 we will never give👑
you just read him say "a lot of players refused to be captain" that means he had no other option but to give it to maguire who accepted it... you would never know the struggle until you become a coach yourself