Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United’s draw against Everton shows it was the club’s decision, not the Norwegian’s, to re-sign the striker.
That’s the verdict of former Arsenal playmaker Paul Merson, who says he’s baffled by Solskjaer’s use of the 36-year-old since his return to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo has scored five times in seven matches since he rejoined in a £12m move from Juventus in August but United’s form has been poor, with the side winning just two of their last seven matches.
Solskjaer has selected Ronaldo to start in six of his seven appearances for the club since he returned but he was dropped for the 1-1 draw against Everton before the international break.
And Merson believes that shows that Solskjaer wasn’t the driving influence behind re-signing Ronaldo, as he dropped the Portugal captain for a must-win game before he met up with his national side.
‘Manchester United have brought all these players in and you’re left scratching your head as to where Solskjaer fits them all in,’ Merson told Sky Sports.
‘To this day I still don’t get the Ronaldo signing. Hand on heart, would Manchester United have gone and got him if Manchester City weren’t linked? Was Ronaldo even going to City, or was he just playing them to get back to United?
‘I’m not 100 per cent sure Solskjaer wanted Ronaldo there, I may be wrong, but his decision to leave him out against Everton told me all I needed to know.
‘I think he saw it as a good opportunity to beat a team without Ronaldo and then carry on from there, but they didn’t, and everybody went mad. But would they have beaten Everton with Ronaldo in the team?
Ronaldo has been criticised for his work-rate so this term, with…
Source : metro
