Why Manchester United have done the right thing by not re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo
The Mirror claims that Jose Mourinho had urged the Manchester United board to not make a move for Cristiano Ronaldo when he left Real Madrid this summer. Although Ed Woodward wanted to bring the Portuguese superstar back to Old Trafford, Mourinho considered it pointless to splash £90million on the 33-year-old, who would command wages of £500,000-a-week (h/t The Mirror).
Mourinho has made some questionable decisions in recent times but opposing the move for Ronaldo can be termed wise.
The Portuguese boss was well within his rights to push the board to sign defensive reinforcements, considering that none of the defenders in the team had cemented their place in the starting XI. And he was right. United needed quality defenders to mount a consistent challenge for Premier League crown and also excel in Europe.
As seen from the games this season, much of United’s woes have been down to lacklustre defending. Eric Bailly does have the potential to command the backline but he has visibly lacked composure and Phil Jones just hasn’t looked fit enough. Meanwhile, Chris Smalling has struggled with his decision-making. Victor Lindelof was excellent for Sweden at the World Cup but he hasn’t hit the ground running at Old Trafford this season.
Although Cristiano Ronaldo is a class-apart, United have plenty of options up front who are more than capable of shouldering the attacking responsibility. The Red Devils have the luxury of utilizing the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Fred, Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata down the wings. Rashford, Martial and Sanchez are all dynamic and versatile players, who are capable of playing in any position in the attacking third.
Signing Ronaldo would have not only drained United’s financial resources in terms of transfer fees and weekly wages, but it would also have given Mourinho a real dilemma over his team selection. It would be virtually impossible to ignore a player like Ronaldo in the starting XI, meaning the likes of Martial, Sanchez and Rashford would have been ousted from the first-team plans. The presence of Ronaldo would have prevented other young players from receiving adequate game time.
Furthermore, benching someone like Ronaldo midway through the game could have provoked negative reactions from the fans which.
At 33, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has inspired an era, is certainly reaching the twilight of his career. Spending an exorbitant sum to acquire his services would not have made sense.
Mourinho hasn’t had the best of times at Manchester United but his pragmatism in ruling out the move to sign Cristiano Ronaldo has definitely preserved United’s financial resources. Regardless of whether or not Mourinho stays at Old Trafford till January, the Red Devils will have the resources to bolster the squad with new defensive reinforcements.
