'High maintenance' - Man United dressing room view of Ronaldo spat that led to his downfall
manchestereveningnews.co.ukFormer Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has opened up on Cristiano Ronaldo's difficult second spell at the club.
The Portuguese star returned to Old Trafford in September 2021, having initially played for United between 2003 and 2009. Ronaldo scored 24 goals across all competitions in 2021/22, but the club endured a difficult season that saw them finish sixth in the Premier League under Ralf Rangnick after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking.
Erik ten Hag's arrival at the club from Ajax in the summer of 2022 then saw Ronaldo's game time become limited. The forward went on to criticise the Dutchman and United in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022 before leaving the club for Al Nassr the following month. READ MORE: Man United may face 17-day sprint to complete one of their main transfers once klaxon sounds READ MORE: Manchester United set to lose popular coach as Erik ten Hag decision looms And Phelan, who worked with Ronaldo across both spells, has expressed his view on the player's comments which created headlines all over the world. "I don't think there was a massive reaction within the environment," he told talkSPORT. "I think it was a case of why did he do it? "Why with Piers?
Was it more about Piers than Ronaldo? He spoke from the heart to be fair. He explained it pretty categorically that he was disappointed with the environment that he'd come back to. "I think he had a point.
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