Why Mourinho Urged The United Board Not To Pursue Ronaldo

By Sarthak Sharma | September 4, 2018
Jose Mourinho gives instructions to Cristiano Ronaldo.

REUTERS/Felix Ordonez

Cristiano Ronaldo may have joined Juventus in the summer, but many were left wondering why the Portuguese star didn’t choose to go back to his beloved Manchester United instead.

Several sources claimed that a lack of ambition from the Red Devils may have been responsible for the 33-year-old snubbing Old Trafford for Turin.

But new reports now claim that United boss Jose Mourinho may have urged the chiefs at the club against making the decision to re-sign their former player.

The Mirror are reporting that Mourinho wasn’t keen on spending £90 million on a player entering his mid 30s, even with the obvious quality that comes with the reigning Ballon D’Or winner.

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Moreover, the arrival of Ronaldo would have also meant the payment of hefty wages, over £500,00-a-week at the very least. Together, this just didn’t seem lucrative enough to the manager, who would have much rather spent that kind of money on two quality defenders.

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Unfortunately, that didn’t work out either. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward denied Mourinho’s request for signing certain defenders in the summer transfer window, leading to frustration for the 55-year-old, who was quick to lay the blame on the United board.

As it stands, only three signings were made, with Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant entering the fray.

Two defeats in three matches have left the Mancunians in a serious rut that has been largely brought about by poor defending at key moments in the match, leading to speculation over Mourinho’s future at Old Trafford despite the club rubbishing any such rumours.

It does, however, give weight to the boss’ insistence on centre-backs joining the club, and may just prove to have disastrous consequences by the time the January transfer window rolls in.

With Burnley on the agenda right now, the Red Devils will have nothing but retribution on their mind.