Gary Neville says the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is a ‘make or break’ one for Manchester United as the club looks to achieve success following a busy summer in the transfer market.
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was one of the stories of the summer, though Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were also brought in during the transfer window, giving the Red Devils one of the best squads in the Premier League.
United haven’t mounted a title challenge under Solskjaer yet, while their record in the Champions League under the Norwegian is pretty ordinary. However, with the squad that has now been assembled, the feeling is that United must now start to produce more consistent results.
Ronaldo himself has had no problem settling back into life in Manchester, scoring four goals in three games so far, and former United and England defender Neville admits the Portugal legend returning leaves old teammate Solskjaer with plenty to deliver.
He told BBC 5 Live Breakfast: “I don’t think Ole is the type [to be bothered about Ronaldo’s touchline instructions].
“He’s dealt with Paul Pogba well over the last 12 months. He’s dealt with big personalities. He seems to have the right temperament for that.
“There is no doubt Ronaldo is a make or break signing for Ole because, with Ronaldo in the squad, he has to win. You can’t have any excuses. You bring one of the best players of all time into your club; with the [Jadon] Sancho signing and the Varane signing at centre-back, he has now got to deliver.
“He has not won a trophy yet with the club, and he knows now is the time to deliver.”
One trophy that the club will not be winning this season is the Carabao Cup. United were knocked out by West Ham on Wednesday, with a second string lineup going down 1-0 to Manuel Lanzini’s first half strike.
