Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer Experiment Has Failed, Claims Ex-Brazilian Player And Man Utd Midfielder

Former Manchester United midfielder José Kléberson believed that Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford has been a failure so far and claimed that the club should not have rushed to sign the Portuguese footballer.

During the summer window, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner made a £12.8 ($17.2) million transfer to Old Trafford from Juventus. Ronaldo has succeeded 14 in all competitions and is considered the club's top goalscorer this term. However, former Man Utd and Brazilian player Kleberson claimed that his former club struggled and might have failed by bringing Ronaldo back to the team.

"To be honest, the Ronaldo experiment has been a bit of a failure so far - especially because of the level of player he is and how of late he has impacted the team," he said. "When you look at the things he can bring to the club and what he brings to the fans, it's not been amazing. The current United team haven't played well together of late."

"It's a tough time for Ronaldo to have returned to the club. Both him and United have a huge history together. Players like Ronaldo come back to a club after time away and it's a totally different style of play and atmosphere to what they remember before. The club isn't the same as under Sir Alex Ferguson and it must be challenging for him to comprehend that," Kleberson added.

Kleberson believed that Man Utd must make tough decisions in the summer, stating how the team needs to restart and refresh for the coming seasons. "United have a lot of young players in their squad, but they need to just think more about who is going to take charge in this team. Who can and will motivate them? Who will organise this squad and get things going in the right direction? If you see the current players their club has, they can be performing much, much better if the team just gets on the same page. They need more fluidity."

The 36-year-old has been under a challenging season with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked in November, in addition to Man Utd's consistent weak performances. There have been ongoing issues, including the Old Trafford's dressing room matters, wherein Ronaldo reportedly pointed out the attitude of his under-performing teammates and accused young players of not taking his advice.

However, Ronaldo is still seen making efforts to unify the squad. He has recently joined a Man Utd WhatsApp group used by the club's younger players such as Marcus Rashford, 24, Anthony Elanga, 19, James Garner, 20 and Jesse Lingard, 29.