Cristiano Ronaldo never stepped over boundaries: Ex-Manchester United coach on Portuguese star's second stint at club under Erik ten Hag

The Portuguese player’s contract was terminated in his second stint with the Red Devils.

Mike Phelan considers the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo, who set the bar in his second stint at Manchester United despite his controversial departure.

When one of the greatest players in the club’s history returned to Old Trafford in 2021, it created a much-needed surge of excitement. However, as was the case with a large portion of United’s post-Ferguson history, things didn’t work out as expected.

After an altercation with Erik ten Hag that led the Portuguese to openly accuse the Red Devils of betraying him, Ronaldo left the team by mutual consent in November 2022.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract was mutually terminated after his heated interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, in which he claimed he was being pushed out and criticized the club’s lack of progress since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 departure.

However, Ronaldo’s comeback had gotten off to a strong start. In his debut season, of his second stint, he scored 24 goals across all competitions and left an impression on former United assistant manager Mike Phelan, who was reunited with the man he had first met when he was just 18 years old.

Phelan refuted claims that Cristiano Ronaldo never went too far during his second stint in an interview with The Athletic, saying the five-time Ballon d’Or winner set expectations that his teammates couldn’t meet.

“When Ronaldo returned, the buzz was unreal – supporters, players,” Phelan said. “What he brought back with him was a different playing style. Ronaldo is a goalscorer. He was driven by his outstanding ability to change a game. Everything was great. And then things change from the point of view of his ambition.

“From the first time (Ronaldo was at United), when I was a coach, I just fine-tuned certain things. I tried to appeal to his strong mentality – ‘These moments are yours’. I applied that the second time around. You didn’t coach Cristiano to be a better player. All I was doing was reinforcing his belief that special players find a way.

“I was rubbing his ego a little bit. But he delivered. He was older, wiser and set high standards – sometimes standards others couldn’t keep to.

“We can all look back in hindsight, and I think Ole has commented on it, how that dynamic might have changed. But if you wanted someone to produce something, he did it. I honestly never thought Cristiano stepped over boundaries.”

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