"Haven’t recovered from that to this day" - Wayne Rooney suggests Manchester United's downfall began as early as 2009 after Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Real Madrid

Losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 was the start of Manchester United's downfall, according to Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney. The Englishman believes the club haven't recovered since the Portuguese left to join the Liga giants.

Cristiano Ronaldo bid farewell to Old Trafford at the end of the 2008-09 campaign, right after Manchester United lost the Champions League final to Barcelona. The Red Devils also parted ways with a couple of other key players, including Carlos Tevez.

That, according to Wayne Rooney, was the genesis of the club's struggles in recent years. The Englishman was quoted as saying by Mirror:

"You could see after 2011; Ronaldo left in 2009, Tevez left and after that you could see it was going to go backwards before it can move forwards. That’s what I could see and that’s why I was asking the questions. Unfortunately, they probably still haven’t recovered from that to this day."

Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo played together at Manchester United between 2004 and 2009. The duo were key players under Sir Alex Ferguson, leading the club to multiple trophies including a Champions League crown and three Premier League titles.

The Portuguese eventually left for Real Madrid in a deal worth €94 million in 2009. However, he returned to Old Trafford last summer, signing a two-year contract with the Red Devils after parting ways with Juventus.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's season so far in numbers

The Portuguese is back at Old Trafford

The Portuguese has wasted no time in making his impact felt after sealing a sensational return to Old Trafford in August last year. So far, he's made 24 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, recording 14 goals and three assists to his name.

Ronaldo deserves a lot of credit for single-handedly ensuring the Premier League giants qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League. His return of six goals in five UCL matches proved to be decisive for Ralf Rangnick's men.