Man Utd fail to listen to Cristiano Ronaldo advice as Graeme Souness points finger of blame

Graeme Souness believes Manchester United are about to pay the price for failing to heed the warnings of . On a weekend when great rivals could draw level with United’s record of 20 league championship wins, the men from Old Trafford are desperate for three points as they face the prospect of their worst-ever finish.

Souness, the former midfielder, is now 71. But he still recognises a winner from a mile away. Something resonated with him when Ronaldo went public with the failings he discovered at Old Trafford when he returned to United after completing his journey to becoming one of the ’s greatest-ever players with and .

Ronaldo was sacked. And Souness feels the inevitable sight of Virgil van Dijk lifting the biggest prize in English football in the coming weeks suggests that United dispensed with the wrong people.

“When Cristiano returned to Old Trafford, he was the perfect role model for the players in United’s squad,” said Souness. “He is the consummate professional, someone who demanded the highest standards from himself and those around him.

“He was disappointed with what he found when he returned to the club. He questioned whether people cared enough about their profession. Over the last decade, since Sir retired, United have lacked senior pros who are capable of dragging the team with them.

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“They had the best in the business in Ronaldo - and I think he left because, reading between the lines, promises were made to him about players who would arrive at Old Trafford that weren’t kept. I’m talking about one of the greatest players who has ever kicked a ball. It was folly for the decision-makers at Old Trafford not to listen to him.

“I think Cristiano’s ego made him think that someone at the top of the club would listen to him. But nobody did - and more than two years later, United are no further forward.”

Souness was a five-time title winner during his six years at Anfield. He lifted the European Cup three times and left to taste Coppa Italia success with Sampdoria before captaining Rangers to the Scottish title twice. He knows that to wear the red shirt of Liverpool or United takes character and courage as well as technical quality.

Souness said: “I played in a different era, but there are certain principles in football that never change. I became a better player at Liverpool because I walked into a dressing room full of winners “Emlyn Hughes, Phil Neal, Thommo (Phil Thompson). Ray Clemence never stopped moaning - and he was the goalkeeper!

“When I arrived at Liverpool I was a player who could coast through games. I would prepare for some matches thinking ‘this should be an easy afternoon.’ That attitude was soon knocked out of me. Very quickly, I came to realise that you can’t do that at clubs like Liverpool and United. Every game is a big game.

“I came to realise that every time you walked out onto the pitch, you had to expect an opposition team that saw it as their cup final. I recognise a few similar characters in the current Liverpool team. Van Dijk for one. He never looks happy. Robbo (Andy Robertson) looks like he moans all the time. I absolutely love that.

“Who are the players who do that at United? I don’t recognise any. When you play for Liverpool or United, you have to have attitude as well as ability. That’s the price on the ticket for wearing the shirt.”

Graeme Souness is an ambassador for Every Minute Matters campaign, a partnership between the British Heart Foundation and Sky Bet that will raise £3million as it aims to get 360,000 football fans to learn lifesaving CPR. The campaign includes gruelling 4,000-kilometre, 28-day journey that features a visit to all 72 EFL clubs. Graeme will join comedian Maisie Adams on Bank Holiday Monday for the final leg, a 10km walk between QPR’S Loftus Road stadium and Wembley.

To learn CPR in just 15 minutes, visit

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