‘Angry and frustrated’ Cristiano Ronaldo ‘needed to adapt’ to Man United team-mates ‘not at his level’, says Gary Neville – who hopes his old team-mate realises his criticism ‘came from a good place’

• Gary Neville has weighed in on his former team-mates return to Man United 
• Ronaldo’s return to United ended in disaster after a feud with boss Erik ten Hag
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

Gary Neville has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo failure to ‘adapt’ during his second stint at Manchester United lead to his inevitable exit.

Ronaldo’s return to the Red Devils ended in disaster after his public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, following his stunning tell-all interview with Piers Morgan.  

Tensions initially rose after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner refused to come off the bench and, instead, walked down the tunnel during their 2-0 win over Tottenham.

And now, former team-mate Neville has weighed in on the 38-year-old’s return to Old Trafford and called into question the ‘leadership’ shown by Ronaldo at the time.

Talking to MARCA, Neville said: ‘I think he did very well in terms of goals. He has a character and a personality in which he does not accept second parts. 

Cristiano Ronaldo’s failed return to Man United was due to his inability to ‘adapt’, claims Neville

Tensions quickly rose between the forward and Man United manager Erik ten Hag (left)

Former Man United star Neville says Ronaldo needed to ‘adapt his leadership style’ at United

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‘I criticized him because my opinion is that, when you are a leader in the locker room and you are a leader in world football, there are different ways of teaching, different ways of mentoring and different ways of coaching the younger players on the team who are not at your level. 

‘I think Cristiano should have modified and adapted his leadership style at United to the players in the locker room who needed mentoring, training and leveling up’. 

Ronaldo was a main component of United’s team during the 2021-22 season however, one year later, and he made just four starts from their opening ten games. 

In the end, the former Real Madrid and Juventus star was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – who he recently scored a brace for in their win over Al-Ahli. 

‘Cristiano got frustrated with them, he got angry with them and that was visible sometimes during the games and, in the end, it became a kind of confrontation,’ Neville continued. 

‘I have played with him, he has an incredible level and has worked as hard as any other player I have played with; everything you see in Cristiano is talent and hard work. 

‘He wants to win, he is desperate to win, he wants to score goals and he wants to be the best player in the world, so I think it has been difficult for him, maybe because he has reached the end of his career in teams that did not have the level that he had seen before’. 

During Ronaldo’s stunning interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, the forward accused Gary Neville of using him to boost his own profile. 

Ronaldo told Morgan: ‘To listen as ex-colleagues or team-mates criticise you, when they only see one point of view. It’s easy. 

‘It’s easy to criticise, I don’t know if you have a job in television that they must criticise to be more famous. I really don’t understand it’.  

The 38-year-old scored 27 goals from 54 appearances during his second stint at the club

Despite being former team-mates, Neville and Ronaldo now have a fractured relationship 

The forward was also seen snubbing Neville prior to Man United’s clash with West Ham back in October 2022.  

Reflecting on Ronaldo’s backlash towards Neville, the former full-back said: ‘I love Cristiano, he probably doesn’t love me for what I said, but I would like to think that in 5-10 years he will understand that my comments came from a good place. 

‘I wanted him to understand that when you get to 35/36, the younger players in the locker room and the less talented players rely on you to take them with you and that there are different ways to be a mentor, a coach and a father in some ways. 

‘He is still my favorite player of all time and the one I like the most when I talk about who is the greatest of all time. I know that many people would say Messi, but I love Cristiano’.

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