Harry Maguire lifts lid on Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd return and admits 'disappointment'

Harry Maguire has opened up about the excitement that Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational return brought to Manchester United, while also expressing his disappointment at how it ended. Ronaldo first made waves at Old Trafford under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson from 2003 to 2009, before making a record-breaking £80million move to Real Madrid.

The forward continued to forge an incredible career with Los Blancos, bagging two La Liga titles, four domestic trophies, four Champions Leagues and four of his five Ballon d'Ors before moving to Juventus in 2018. The news of Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford three years later was met with jubilation by United fans, but his final stint with the Red Devils didn't go as expected. Despite scoring 18 Premier League goals under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick in the 2021/22 season, which saw United finish sixth, the now 40-year-old reportedly became frustrated with the team's performances. After falling out of favour with new head coach Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo laid his feelings bare in an interview with Piers Morgan, leading to Manchester United mutually terminating his contract in November 2022.

Despite the eventual sour ending, Maguire explained that Ronaldo's comeback initially injected a much-needed spark into the dressing room. Speaking on the , the defender, who joined United in 2019, shared his thoughts: "I can't speak a bad word about him. It was amazing to have him, when he walked through the door it was just incredible.

"It was just so disappointing how it ended and how we couldn't find a way to perform with him in the team. He was performing, he was scoring goals, it was crazy. I don't know how many he scored that year. We were rubbish and he was still scoring goals, so it just shows how good he is.

"But we just couldn't find a way to... all our system under Ole was about being on the front foot, being aggressive. Pressing, it was like a pressing machine. We weren't the best team, we actually finished third and then second. We probably didn't have the best players."

Maguire acknowledged the reason for United's failings, even with Ronaldo as their talisman. "We had some great players, don't get me wrong, but it was all about pressing and working to a tactic and working to a shape, and when to jump and when to stay," he explained. "And obviously Cristiano came in and we just didn't adapt well enough for him, and you could just tell he was so upset and frustrated."

In terms of United not making the most of their star players at the time, Maguire added: "We just couldn't believe what happened because we obviously finished third, then second, and then that season we brought in Sanch [Jadon Sancho], Rafa [Raphael Varane] and Cristiano in the summer.

"And you're thinking, 'Here we go now, like, let's go win the Premier League,' and it just never happened. It just never clicked. And obviously we lost Ole, which was disappointing if I'm being honest. I feel like Ole did an unbelievable job, I'll probably speak more about Ole when I'm retired.

For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express MUFC newsletter, or join our WhatsApp community here.

"But the way that he set us up in the first two years is probably the best I've felt in a team, under Ole and Kieran [McKenna] and Carras [Michael Carrick]. Those three, they had us so well organised. And like I said, we didn't have the best team about. We were just well-coached, tactically brilliant.

"We could play, we could press. The third season I was there it just didn't work, and it had nothing to do with Cristiano because like I said, he was our best player that year by far. The boys and the tactics around him, it just didn't work."

United are now preparing for a new Premier League season with Ruben Amorim at the helm. Despite a disappointing 15th-place finish last term, Amorim will be looking forward to making his mark after having the benefit of a full summer transfer window and pre-season.

Amorim has brought in a new frontline in the form of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. Supporters will be eager to see if these new additions pay dividends on Sunday, 17 August, when United take on Arsenal at Old Trafford.