Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has given his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford to reunite with Ruben Amorim.
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Meulensteen discusses Ronaldo's return to Man UtdFormer Man Utd coach thinks 'that ship has sailed'Believes Ronaldo only has two more incentives to continueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021 after ending his stint with Juventus. However, the return of the Old Trafford fan favourite did not go as smoothly as the Portugal captain would have expected, despite scoring 27 goals and providing five assists in 53 games. After a rather public dispute with Erik ten Hag in the winter of 2022, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner parted ways with the Red Devils and joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr as a free agent.
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Former Manchester United coach Meulensteen has now discussed the chances of Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford to reunite with his former Portugal team-mate and current Red Devils manager Amorim. However, the Dutchman believes "the ship has sailed" in any hopes seeing CR7 back in the famous red shirt for a third time. Meulensteen also listed a few reasons why the Portugal international is not keen on returning to Europe.
Getty Images SportWHAT MEULENSTEEN SAID
Speaking to TribalFootball.com, Meulensteen said: "Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United? I think that ship has sailed. There is speculation because of his relationship with Ruben Amorim and it is an intriguing idea, but I can’t see it happening."
He continued: "Cristiano Ronaldo could’ve had another two years playing in Europe, but I think that he only wanted to join a team who had a good chance of winning the Champions League."
WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?
The Portugal international remains a key part of Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League project. With the overall quality of the Saudi Pro League outside of a few clubs, the goals keep flowing for Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is currently 96 goals away from breaking the barrier of 1,000 goals and it is unlikely that he will retire before the landmark is reached.
