"I think that he has been misunderstood" - Ex-Manchester United star explains why Cristiano Ronaldo would be 'loved' back at Old Trafford

Former Manchester United star Louis Saha has shared his thoughts on why Cristiano Ronaldo could potentially return to Old Trafford. This comes after manager Erik ten Hag was sacked by the club in late October after poor performances saw the Red Devils stumble into the Premier League mid-table.

Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid after leaving United in 2009. He spent three years at Juventus, before returning to Old Trafford in 2021. While there was much fanfare to his return, things quickly took a sour turn. A series of managers came and went, before the club decided on Erik ten Hag.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo clashed with the Dutch manager often. Everything culminated in a bombshell interview where the Portuguese striker slammed his manager, revealing that he did not respect Ten Hag. He also slammed prominent figures in the club's history.

Now that Ten Hag has been sacked by the Red Devils, Louis Saha believes the legendary striker could return to Old Trafford. Speaking to BoyleSports, he said (via GOAL):

“Cristiano Ronaldo would be loved back at Manchester United, he is loved and respected but I also think that he has been misunderstood. His second spell came during a period in which the transition was too big and the manager had a dilemma in trying to show that he is strong by leaving him out.

“The manager wanted to show his character, to show that he's a strong guy and I think that was where the clash started. If you look at his stats then you can’t argue with his goals during his first season back at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo at the time had strong words in regards to the management and the board, but after two years you can see that he was right.”

After that tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo and Manchester United agreed to a mutual termination of his contract, in November 2022. In January 2023, he joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he has played ever since.

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Why Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United

The club seemed to choose Ten Hag over Cristiano Ronaldo in late 2022, opting to have the striker leave Old Trafford. They stuck to the manager, who led them to win the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

However, results in the Premier League did not improve, and they crashed out of the Champions League and only got into the Europa League because of their FA Cup win.

This season, they waddled in mid-table obscurity, with Ten Hag unable to gather points and improve their standing on the table. After losses to clubs like West Ham, Tottenham, Brighton, and draws in the Europa League to Porto, Twente, and Fenerbahce, the club determined his time was up.

Ruben Amorim has taken over the reins at Manchester United, with former players like Saha pushing for Cristiano Ronaldo's return after the Portuguese coach's emergence.