Cristiano Ronaldo defends Ruben Amorim and slams 'sick' Man Utd

By 90min | Created at 2024-12-27 19:19:11 | Updated at 2024-12-28 11:03:27 16 hours ago

Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a scathing review of his former club and defended the slow start made by his compatriot Ruben Amorim.

The former Sporting CP coach, who played alongside Ronaldo for the Portuguese national team, has lost five of his first ten matches since moving to Old Trafford in November. This is the worst start of any United boss in the last 90 years.

Amorim, as Ronaldo was quick to point out, took over a club that has been mired in mediocrity for years. During his first spell in Manchester under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo won nine major trophies and lifted the 2008 Ballon d'Or. However, his second stint ended in ignominy, leaving the club after a public falling out with then-manager Erik ten Hag at the end of 2022.

Ten Hag was dismissed earlier this season with United languishing in 14th place. After six weeks under Amorim, the Red Devils remain in the exact same position. "[The] Premier League, it's the most difficult league in the world," Ronaldo argued at Friday's Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai.

Ruben Amorim has endured a record-breakingly bad start to life at Man Utd / Naomi Baker/GettyImages

"All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the teams are strong. Football is different right now. There's no easy games any more."

Ronaldo drew upon an unflattering - and slightly confusing - analogy to explain United's current malaise: "I said this one year and a half ago, and I will continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches, it's like... I always give this example... it's like an aquarium. If you have the fish inside and he's sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium you will be sick again.

"The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It's much more than that."

The 39-year-old still plugging away in Saudi Arabia's top flight hasn't quite concluded his playing career, but stressed that his footballing talents were not restricted to the confines of a pitch. "If I will be the owner of the club," Ronaldo said, "I will make things clear and adjust things that are bad there." Unfortunately for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Portuguese forward didn't elaborate on his grand plan to save United.