Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Reflects on Being ‘Undermined’ by Cristiano Ronaldo As Manchester United Manager

Manchester United started their Champions League opener on a low when they lost to Swiss club Young Boys. Manchester United had a stellar transfer window this summer where they signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, and Jadon Sancho. The pressure for winning a trophy has never been higher.

Amidst this trophy drought, Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar’s capabilities have been doubted by many. Now when he finally has a world-class team, the loss to Young Boys has raised eyebrows again. Ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand recently gave out a statement hinting at Ole’s lack of authority in the dressing room.

Soccer Football – Champions League – Group F – BSC Young Boys v Manchester United – Stadion Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland – September 14, 2021 BSC Young Boys’ Jordan Siebatcheu celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates as Manchester United’s Harry Maguire looks dejected REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Rio Ferdinand wanted Solskjaer to ask Cristiano Ronaldo to sit down after being substituted

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand played together at Old Trafford for five years between 2002 and 2007. Despite having played together, Rio Ferdinand has never shied away from criticizing his former teammate.

During the Young Boys game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were seen at the touchline with Ole, appealing against the referee for a poor decision. Rio misunderstood this and thought that the players were acting as the managers. Speaking on this, Rio said, “If I’m the manager, I’ve got to be honest, I’m telling [Cristiano] to sit down.”

Rio Ferdinand had some thoughts after the final whistle pic.twitter.com/x3zzV2aYuZ

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 18, 2021

This is not the first time that Ferdinand has taken a shot at Ole. Last month, the TV pundit said he was “baffled” by Ole’s decision of handing out a new contract to out-of-favor defender Phil Jones.

“He doesn’t really know”- Manchester United boss hits back at Rio Ferdinand

After hearing the comments made by Rio Ferdinand, Ole hit back. “Rio, again you know, sometimes he comments on things he doesn’t really know. It’s not like he was coaching players. No. Both Bruno and Cristiano, as competitive as they are, suddenly I had them on my shoulder.

Ole then went on to reveal the real reason why both the players were shouting at the touchline. “They were there for a brief spell and shouted at the referee. That was the aggravation of getting a few bad decisions against us. But then Cristiano sat down and Bruno sat down.” 

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