Former Manchester United star Paul Parker believes it ‘hasn’t worked out’ for Cristiano Ronaldo following his second spell with the Red Devils.
And the ex-defender has also responded to transfer reports linking the Portuguese superstar with a stunning move to join Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s time and second-spell at Manchester United could be coming to an end
Ronaldo, who recently turned 37, returned to Old Trafford last summer having previously spent six-years in Manchester before moving to the Spanish capital, joining Real Madrid in 2009.
The Portugal international has found the net 14 times in 26 matches across all competitions so far this season, but his fairytale storybook return is quickly turning into a Brothers Grimm nightmare.
Ronaldo started on the bench in the 1-1 draw against Burnley on Tuesday night, as manager Ralph Rangnick preferred Edison Cavani, who he claims to be a ‘better fit’.
He came off the bench but only played 22 minutes of the draw with the Premier League’s bottom-placed side, and Ronaldo’s frustration was clear as he marched straight down the tunnel at full-time.
“It hasn’t worked out Ronaldo’s way, but what was he looking for?”, Parker told bettors.
“There’s no guarantee that he was gonna come back to Man United and because he’s come back, they’re gonna walk away with the league and it was all going to be about him, everyone just saying that Ronaldo’s won them the league.
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Ronaldo was a substitute against Burnley, with Ralph Rangnick preferring Edison Cavani
“That wasn’t going to happen. United weren’t in that shape to go and do that. So surely he must’ve known that when he signed that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Common sense surely would have told him that one player isn’t going to change the team. One player, who’s 37 years old, isn’t gonna change that much.”
In his first spell at at the club, Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 games, but he has failed to live up to the heights supporters would have been expecting following his return, and has even been dubbed ‘part of the problem’.
Parker insists Ronaldo’s struggles have mainly come since the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Norwegian being replaced with interim manager Rangnick.
“He [Ronaldo] has gone back to a club that he loves, a club that loves him and it hasn’t worked out,” he added. “Management changes and one of the reasons why the management changed so quickly from when he arrived, is because he arrived.
“He doesn’t arrive, United start the season they way they kind of finished it with Cavani – how he made such a difference, the players liked him because of his unselfish runs, his workrate, the way he was around the box, the goals he scored.
Cavani, 34, has been a key figure under Rangnick since the interim managers arrival
“It all changed. Football changed at Man United when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left. Not that he was hundred percent but there was something that had been built from the backend of the previous season.”
Ronaldo has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain next summer, with former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane reportedly keen on re-union with the Portuguese star.
The pair have a great relationship, and won three consecutive Champions League trophies at Los Blancos.
Zidane continues to be linked with replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the French capital and, should he take to the helm, Ronaldo could soon be lining up alongside both Lionel Messi and Neymar at the Parc de Princes.
Ronaldo could re-unite with former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane in the near future
A move to Paris Saint-Germain would seen Ronaldo link up with both Neymar and Lionel Messi
“A Ronaldo and Neymar in the same side. Christ! That could be temperamental. It’s a great thing to throw out I suppose”, Parker added about the transfer links.
“If you’re playing FIFA, you don’t have to mix them any more. It could actually be there for you. Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo in a team, rather than you try to transfer them from every way, you have them right there from your TV set, in a PSG kit. They’ll be grateful, all the FIFA players.
“With [Lionel] Messi being there, I don’t know if they’re looking [to get Ronaldo] to sell the club more. I think they need a bit more than that. If PSG are going down the showbiz road and doing it to sell tickets and shirts, then fine. But I think their fans would really like to challenge consistently, for the Champions League.
“It doesn’t seem right to me. PSG, they should be a little bit more forward thinking than that. If you’re a PSG fan, it’s not just you would say ‘that’s incredible’. You would want more, specially in the way when you look at PSG, they don’t need too many superstar players as such.”
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