Sacked Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dismissed warnings from several key members of his backroom staff against signing Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, according to The Times.
Solskjaer was shown the exit door at Old Trafford on Sunday barely 24 hours after his side was beaten 4-1 by Watford in the Premier League.
The Norwegian spent three years at United without lifting silverware but did improve the club’s transfer policy and cleared up much of the mess left by Jose Mourinho.
Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, Solskjaer also brought in Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho in the summer with many feeling the pair would be the final pieces in the jigsaw after the Red Devils finished second last term.
He moved quickly to finalise a deal for the Portugal international in the final days of the transfer window and the report claims that his staff had concerns about the move for the Juventus star.
Having repeatedly stressed the need for his side to be the “fittest in the league”, it was felt Ronaldo’s attitude towards pressing and tracking back didn’t fit with Solskjaer’s overall message.
The Norwegian had worked tirelessly with striker, Anthony Martial to improve the Frenchman’s pressing from the front and dropped him for Edinson Cavani last term as the Uruguayan offered better off-the-ball movement.
It was therefore felt that signing Ronaldo, though welcomed for his ability, undermined Solskjaer’s tactical advice.
But Solskjaer felt Ronaldo’s goals would make up for his shortcomings in other departments and the Portuguese was the final signing of the Norwegian’s reign at Old Trafford.
