Manchester United members of staff have reportedly suggested that only one man can be blamed for Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford in 2021, claiming "it would not happen now".
The Portuguese superstar and the Red Devils' relationship came to a regrettable end in November 2022, about a year-and-a-half after his sensational return to the Theatre of Dreams in August 2021 on a two-year deal.
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In the first season of his second spell at the club, he was instrumental in then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side as he finished as the team's top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions, although the Norwegian boss was sacked almost halfway into that campaign and replaced by interim coach Ralf Rangnick.
Former Ajax Amsterdam manager Erik ten Hag took charge of United in June last year after a disastrous 2021/22 that saw the club finish with their lowest points tally in the Premier League era, prompting Ronaldo to seek a move elsewhere.
This spiralled into the striker's lengthy absence from the team's 2022/23 pre-season preparations, with "family reasons" cited as the cause.
After being unsuccessful at finding a new club that plays UEFA Champions League football, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's stay in Manchester was confirmed. However, the Dutchman's reign saw the Portuguese marksman spend more time on the bench than ever before, often only being utilised as a substitute.
After a sustained number of off-the-bench appearances, Ronaldo finally broke and publicly slated the club during an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan in November last year, during which he accused Ten Hag of being disrespectful towards him. Things became irreconcilable at this point and the two parties parted ways later that month.
United staff have since seemingly revealed that the Ronaldo transfer would never repeat itself.
According to The Athletic, staff members at the club feel the ex-Real Madrid attacker's return was all the doing of former vice-executive chairman Ed Woodward.
The former chief has been painted as someone who had a huge liking for blockbuster signings and superstars, having once dreamed of signing Neymar and Gareth Bale too, and some felt he was too involved in player deals, with the feeling being that those kinds of transfers would not happen now under his replacement Richard Arnold.
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Ten Hag later confessed that he did not lose any sleep over Ronaldo's controversial exit, with the centre-forward going on to join Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr, for whom he has netted 12 goals in 13 league games to date.
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