Sir Jim Ratcliffe can fix one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s problems with Manchester United

When Cristiano Ronaldo arrived back at Manchester United in 2021, no one would have wanted the ending his homecoming had.

A contract termination right before the World Cup followed an extraordinarily explosive TV interview in which he said he had no respect for Erik ten Hag, who had left him warming the bench for the full 90 minutes at times.

That sit-down interview with Piers Morgan infuriated a lot of United fans and many were happy to see him exit. However, most would admit that a few grim but accurate home truths about the club’s infrastructure were told.

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A number of onlookers were fearful about the state of training facilities after witnessing the crumbling terraces of Old Trafford with a leaking roof becoming a common sight. When Ronaldo spoke to Morgan, he pulled back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes infrastructure.

“Nothing changed. Surprisingly. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym,” said the superstar when comparing the Carrington facilities from when he left in 2009. “Even some points; the technology, the kitchen…

“The chefs - who I appreciate and are lovely, lovely people - but they stopped in time, which is this. It surprised me a lot, I thought I will see different things."

He added: “At United, the progress was zero, in my opinion. To compare with Real Madrid and even Juventus, they follow the rest of the world. So the technology, especially in terms of training, nutrition and conditions of, erm, eat properly and to recover better than before surprised me.

“Manchester right now to compare with that club, I think it's behind, in my opinion, which is something that surprised