John Barnes feels Manchester United should have counted on youngsters instead of re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo
Liverpool legend John Barnes feels Manchester United should have put faith in their youngsters instead of re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo last year. The former England forward believes the Portugal international’s arrival has affected other stars in the squad.
Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho did not have the best of seasons in the previous campaign. The Red Devil’s academy graduate struggled to get into the team. On the other hand, the former Borussia Dortmund star failed to live up to fans’ expectations.
Speaking to BonusCodeBets (h/t Metro), Barnes, who spent 10 years at the Merseyside club, is of the opinion that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s return to Manchester was unnecessary.
“I never really thought it was necessary for them to do or it (United bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford).
“Once you had [Jadon] Sancho and [Marcus] Rashford and other young players, you have to give them the message that you are the future, you are going to be the regulars in the team.
“And when he came back he detracted from that. As you can see, Rashford had a dip, Sancho has had a dip and he hasn’t come out of it, whereas they should have been the ones carrying Man Utd forward.”
Ronaldo made his way back to United in the summer of 2021 from Juventus. He left the club in 2009 to join Real Madrid after making his name with the Red Devils.
Having lifted several titles over the years, the Portuguese returned to Manchester with the pedigree of winning things. And some fans were confident that the Old Trafford side would return to the top with the 37-year-old’s arrival.
Unfortunately, United struggled to challenge for trophies and even missed out on the top four in the Premier League in the previous campaign. As a result, Erik ten Hag was appointed as the new manager after the end of last season.
However, the arrival of the Dutch manager has resulted in the diminishing of Ronaldo’s role at the Old Trafford side. The forward has found game time and form hard to come by and has spent the majority of the campaign on the bench.
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Fortunately, the likes of Rashford, Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho have stepped up for us this term. The youngsters are making a difference under Ten Hag. Hopefully, we can enter a new era after the 37-year-old’s departure.
