Ronaldo: Stay or go?

[Bastian]

I think all the talk of "without him we wouldn't have..." is flawed argumentation. We have no idea how things would have panned out, the dressing room dynamic would have been different, our non-amazing players wouldn't have been lumbered with huge expectation (which really should be the norm, but there you go), and other players would have seen game time.

Anyhow, he doesn't really fit into a high intensity progressive style, even though people have tried to come up with all sorts of caveats and creative "solutions" in that he can block passing lanes, etc. He can't press for 90 minutes consistently, and when he worked hard on a few occasions throughout a match Rangnick praised him well. He's a fantastic player still, in a setup that caters to him.

The best thing about buying him, I thought, was an insurance policy in terms of ambition, as he wouldn't tolerate not being competitive. Well, we're in the Europa and we're way off the front two in the league and we're unlikely to do anything dramatic in the market, so he's got his agent looking for clubs. His problem though, same as last summer, is finding a club at a level he wishes to play at. There aren't any, really. He could maybe go to Chelsea, which for me is a bit of a sideways move (I think they are significantly overhyped) but, granted, more competitive in the short-term.

He lacks leverage. At this stage it might be best to go back to Sporting for a fairytale comeback while he's still capable. The recent speculation linking him with Mourinho's Roma might also be an interesting option, though of course it's understandable he might have wanted to go to Bayern and complete a 4 league winning career.

 

[FatTails]

Good arguments on both sides. I’m not too fussed to be honest. If we have a weak window, with or without Ronaldo, we won’t get top 4.

My hunch is that he will stay, mostly due to a lack of interested clubs that would interest him.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Did you actually watch them on a weekly basis?
Eliminations against Ajax, Lyon and Porto.

‘Throughout his three seasons – but especially in the latter two - there was a genuine lack of cohesiveness and rhythm to Juve’s play, almost as if the club was caught between two stools: trying to cater to Ronaldo, whilst at the same time play an attractive, system-based brand of football that would win over the neutral. The end product was a highly disjointed team that dug its way out of games based purely on moments of individualism.’

Thats Ronaldo in a nutshell. All about his stats. feck a well flowing team, as long as he gets his goals.
His last year was very mediocre in Italy and Juve was glad to get rid of him.

Yes, he’s one of the GOATS but is passed it for 2 years now.

Did you watched Juventus this season? They were poor this season without him too, how do you explain that then with your "blame everything on Ronaldo" claim?. At least previous 2 seasons they still managed to win 3 trophies with Ronaldo being their main man. This season they won feck all without him. Where is the free flowing team you talking about after Ronaldo was gone?

 

[MrEleson]

The recent speculation linking him with Mourinho's Roma

That rumour makes 0 sense. Roma are basically in the same position as us but without the purchasing power or expectations to get to a much higher level. Plus, they play in a poorer league. Not to mention, his relationship with mourinho deteriorated in the latter’s final season at Madrid. He would much rather stay here than drop that low. The clubs he’ll definitely want to leave for will be one like a Bayern, PSG. That calibre. Whether he’ll get that is another story. I think his future will be linked to Lewandowski’s.

 

[Lee565]

Him staying at the club is doing ten hag no favours of being successful at the club, with this unsettling drama before a ball is even kicked in the new season, yen hag is going to have face constant questions from the media about Ronaldo's desire to be at the club and then he will have to go through the drama again everytime he drops him and ronaldo will inevitably attempt to undermine is authority by throwing tantrums when subbed, ignoring away fans when we lose etc..

The club and many nostalgic loving fans should ask themselves do they want the club to carry on living in the past of anything related to the fergie years or actually make an attempt for the club to properly adapt to modern football and start looking to the future to catch up with the big sides in england/Europe.

 

[Newtonius]

Would be catastrophic if he left hes the only proper striker at the club and we already need another as it is, definitely not comfortable with Martial and Rashford leading the line.

 

[Nicoseth]

Absolutely love Ronaldo - hope he stays as we're fecked without him. But, hand on heart, I wouldn't blame him for wanting to go. Last year was a complete disaster. He has probably two more seasons before we see a significant decline in his performance. Apart from his love for the club, why would or should he stay? He doesn't necessarily have time to stay and try to play a part in our rebuild and will want to win more trophies before retiring - his chances of doing that here are pretty slim.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Did you watched Juventus this season? They were poor this season without him too, how do you explain that then with your "blame everything on Ronaldo" claim?. At least previous 2 seasons they still managed to win 3 trophies with Ronaldo being their main man. This season they won feck all without him. Where is the free flowing team you talking about after Ronaldo was gone?

There's an element of truth to what he's saying. The arrival of a player of Ronaldo's calibre, especially the post-30 version of him, is always bound to leave any manager with a monumental task in his hands. You have to build the attack around him and cater to his needs. Prior to Ronaldo's arrival, Paulo Dybala was coming off a fantastic season and seemed ready to take the next step and become a focal point in their team. He's a neat little player with clever movement around the box and able to form well-functioning partnerships. Higuain offered some hold up play and some movement to the sides to create pockets of space. That's how they scored 49 goals between them. Ronaldo doesn't offer much outside the box, which left Dybala with all the heavy lifting in what was a pretty much one-way partnership. Dybala's goals dried up and Juventus scored 16 fewer goals in Serie A. Add the failure to go all the way in the CL, and you'll find out why the murmuring began among Juve fans.

The same scenario repeated itself in the following season. Then Sarri came in with ideas to use Ronaldo on the left, which made Juventus' football even less functional. Which was followed by the shite show under Pirlo and led to Allegri's return to rebuild the first team. By that time, every Matteo-Luigi and Lorenzo in Turin would tell you that Ronaldo was the biggest issue at the club. Even Allegri basically shrugged his shoulders when they asked him about Ronaldo's future. Because that's the kind of attention Ronaldo draws on himself. Before you know it, everyone has an opinion on the matter and the truth gets lost in the translation as the pendulum of opinions swings heavily to both sides of the extreme. Needless to say that it proved quite difficult to score goals and build a formidable attack around Moses Keane, Bernadeschi and Morata no matter how versatile they are. In fact, it was so bad that they had to fork out 70 million Euros in the winter to sign Vlahovic and secure CL qualification.

The truth is somewhat more complex. In hindsight, yes, signing Ronaldo was a move dictated more by glamour and prestige - a statement more than anything else - than by football logic. They should have allowed Allegri to continue building the team he had created instead of burdening him with unnecessary reshuffling of roles and a new balance in the dressing room. This is a situation many United fans are familiar with. On the other hand, once he came to Turin, Ronaldo did his job and delivered on his promise by breaking several records. I know, they coveted the one with the big ears. But, while moaning about it, they were failing to see that the emperor had no clothes. They never replaced Khedira's verticality and the simplicity in his game, they didn't find another both industrious and tactically astute player like Matuidi, they were unlucky with such an intelligent player like Marchisio and their big signing, Pjanic, didn't prove to be what they thought he would be. Add to this that their prestigious centre-halves were not getting younger with each passing year, and you'll start seeing the full picture. Regressed midfield quality and a less stable defence. Which is also a lesson for United fans who may think that losing 15-20 league goals is fine because the manager will snap his fingers and make all our previous failures seem like a bad dream.

 

[Idxomer]

If he stays, Ten Hag will be his 6th manager in the last 5 seasons.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

We came 6th because almost every player was operating way beyond their level.
Ronaldo and De Gea are probably the only 2 that could be judged as having good seasons.

And they'll continue to operate below their 2021 le

There's people on here that actually say we don't deserve Ronaldo. He should go to Chelsea we're not good enough for him.

I'd personally be happy if the Ronaldo circus leaves. Bayern and now Chelsea have come out saying that they've been offered Ronaldo. Mendes has definitely been to every major club across Europe. Unfortunately for us I don't think there's a team dumb enough to take him.

Let's hope Chelsea with their new American owners take the bait as I don't see any other 'big' team going anywhere near him.

And Ronaldo will continue whoring himself and throwing himself at every top team that hasn't yet rejected him until he's out of options.

 

[RedRonaldo]

There's an element of truth to what he's saying. The arrival of a player of Ronaldo's calibre, especially the post-30 version of him, is always bound to leave any manager with a monumental task in his hands. You have to build the attack around him and cater to his needs. Prior to Ronaldo's arrival, Paulo Dybala was coming off a fantastic season and seemed ready to take the next step and become a focal point in their team. He's a neat little player with clever movement around the box and able to form well-functioning partnerships. Higuain offered some hold up play and some movement to the sides to create pockets of space. That's how they scored 49 goals between them. Ronaldo doesn't offer much outside the box, which left Dybala with all the heavy lifting in what was a pretty much one-way partnership. Dybala's goals dried up and Juventus scored 16 fewer goals in Serie A. Add the failure to go all the way in the CL, and you'll find out why the murmuring began among Juve fans.

The same scenario repeated itself in the following season. Then Sarri came in with ideas to use Ronaldo on the left, which made Juventus' football even less functional. Which was followed by the shite show under Pirlo and led to Allegri's return to rebuild the first team. By that time, every Matteo-Luigi and Lorenzo in Turin would tell you that Ronaldo was the biggest issue at the club. Even Allegri basically shrugged his shoulders when they asked him about Ronaldo's future. Because that's the kind of attention Ronaldo draws on himself. Before you know it, everyone has an opinion on the matter and the truth gets lost in the translation as the pendulum of opinions swings heavily to both sides of the extreme. Needless to say that it proved quite difficult to score goals and build a formidable attack around Moses Keane, Bernadeschi and Morata no matter how versatile they are. In fact, it was so bad that they had to fork out 70 million Euros in the winter to sign Vlahovic and secure CL qualification.

The truth is somewhat more complex. In hindsight, yes, signing Ronaldo was a move dictated more by glamour and prestige - a statement more than anything else - than by football logic. They should have allowed Allegri to continue building the team he had created instead of burdening him with unnecessary reshuffling of roles and a new balance in the dressing room. This is a situation many United fans are familiar with. On the other hand, once he came to Turin, Ronaldo did his job and delivered on his promise by breaking several records. I know, they coveted the one with the big ears. But, while moaning about it, they were failing to see that the emperor had no clothes. They never replaced Khedira's verticality and the simplicity in his game, they didn't find another both industrious and tactically astute player like Matuidi, they were unlucky with such an intelligent player like Marchisio and their big signing, Pjanic, didn't prove to be what they thought he would be. Add to this that their prestigious centre-halves were not getting younger with each passing year, and you'll start seeing the full picture. Regressed midfield quality and a less stable defence. Which is also a lesson for United fans who may think that losing 15-20 league goals is fine because the manager will snap his fingers and make all our previous failures seem like a bad dream.

This has nothing to do with his argument though. He is basically saying Ronaldo has been detrimental to Juventus free flowing football, when the truth is they have been even worst without him last season. With him, 5 trophies in 3 years, without him, 0 trophy last season.

Also, you are only cherry picking individual performances with your Dybala examples. Yes he was poor previous season, but how about Morata? He has been good and scorings goals when partnering with Ronaldo previous season. Why not mention him instead?

Lets look at Ronaldo striker partner in his 3 seasons at Juventus:

18-19: Mandzuka 10 goals, similar as his previous 4 seasons
19-20: Dybala 17 goals,. his 4th career best season
20-21: Morata 20 goals, his career best season

 

[tenpoless]

Ronaldo Go. Catch them all. Attract wild Ronaldos with siu incense. Spin Ronaldo signs for free Siuballs.

He will stay 100%. Its too late to move now. Everything suggests he has a role to play in ETH's team. The case with players of his stature is that if he clashes he clashes early, if wants out he would have fecked off right away.

 

[glazed]

Absolutely this.

We never could have finished higher than third last season no matter what, but the presence of Ronaldo and the lack of a competent DM combined to produce a spectacular team collapse. The fact that Ronaldo was banging in goals some of the time doesn't really alter that dynamic, it just disguises it.

He will stay 100%. Its too late to move now. Everything suggests he has a role to play in ETH's team. The case with players of his stature is that if he clashes he clashes early, if wants out he would have fecked off right away.

I don't think ETH will want him but he will pretend he does for now. We will see a pattern of marginalisation I expect. Lots of "hip injury" like we saw with Ralf.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

This has nothing to do with his argument though. He is basically saying Ronaldo has been detrimental to Juventus free flowing football, when the truth is they have been even worst without him last season. With him, 5 trophies in 3 years, without him, 0 trophy last season.

Also, you are only cherry picking individual performances with your Dybala examples. Yes he was poor previous season, but how about Morata? He has been good and scorings goals when partnering with Ronaldo previous season. Why not mention him instead?

Lets look at Ronaldo striker partner in his 3 seasons at Juventus:

18-19: Mandzuka 10 goals, similar as his previous 4 seasons
19-20: Dybala 17 goals,. his 4th career best season
20-21: Morata 20 goals, his career best season

It's up to him to explain. I already mentioned that there were multiple reasons and a series of bad decisions which led to Juventus' decline. You'll find many of their fans suggesting that, in the end, it was a waste of effort to create a team around him. I am not saying they are 100% correct, but what actually happened tells us they were not 100% wrong either. They didn't perform better as a team, they didn't score more goals, they didn't achieve anything more than winning the Serie A (which they had in their pocket before Ronaldo).

You are on the other side of the extreme. Just as they wouldn't instantly become better, had Ronaldo left, the last couple of seasons showed that his impact had also deteriorated due to age. It has become more difficult to build a team around his goals, especially when there are several areas on the pitch which are in dire need of improvement. On the other hand, when your first team is a mess, it's silly to say that you don't need his goals because you believe they'll simply come from elsewhere without being able to say exactly where.

Finally, i mentioned Dybala because he was supposed to be their "future star", the project for which they had high hopes. It's not just Ronaldo's fault, but that's how they feel about it in Turin. Morata scoring 20 goals doesn't say much when those goals came in weird 442 formations, which were designed to accommodate Ronnie and Morata and led to one of their worst seasons in a decade. A side that couldn't string more than 3 wins in a row in a league they have dominated for years.

 

[RedRonaldo]

It's up to him to explain. I already mentioned that there were multiple reasons and a series of bad decisions which led to Juventus' decline. You'll find many of their fans suggesting that, in the end, it was a waste of effort to create a team around him. I am not saying they are 100% correct, but what actually happened tells us they were not 100% wrong either. They didn't perform better as a team, they didn't score more goals, they didn't achieve anything more than winning the Serie A (which they had in their pocket before Ronaldo).

You are on the other side of the extreme. Just as they wouldn't instantly become better, had Ronaldo left, the last couple of seasons showed that his impact had also deteriorated due to age. It has become more difficult to build a team around his goals, especially when there are several areas on the pitch which are in dire need of improvement. On the other hand, when your first team is a mess, it's silly to say that you don't need his goals because you believe they'll simply come from elsewhere without being able to say exactly where.

Finally, i mentioned Dybala because he was supposed to be their "future star", the project for which they had high hopes. It's not just Ronaldo's fault, but that's how they feel about it in Turin. Morata scoring 20 goals doesn't say much when those goals came in weird 442 formations, which were designed to accommodate Ronnie and Morata and led to one of their worst seasons in a decade. A side that couldn't string more than 3 wins in a row in a league they have dominated for years.

The point is, Dybala has had one of his best season in 19-20 when the team is trying to accommodate Ronaldo with him too, which refute your whole claim here. For all the theory out there, it’s more likely that Dybala doesn’t work under Pirlo system (20-21), rather than any system trying to accommodate him with Ronaldo (19-20). But I agree they have had multiple issues with or without Ronaldo, which makes the whole blame from original posters mainly made on Ronaldo being daft.

 

[TheLord]

United wasn't his first choice when he joined us last season. It looks like he would easily walk away if his personal ambitions are met by "any" top club in the planet.

I wouldn't be too bothered about what he plans to do with the little remaining of his professional top-flight career.

 

[RatPack]

It is now clear that Ronaldo is looking for a way out. Normally I would just wish someone would take him as quickly as possible.
But we simply do not have a replacement for him in the team. And a new top striker would cost minimum 70 mill. So together with De Jong that will be the entire budget used.
Therefore I think we need him to stay one more year and get 2 more players in instead.

 

[Berbaclass]

 

[gza the genius]

I wouldn’t really care if he left but we wouldn’t get enough money by letting him go to even come close to adequately replacing him. I guess freeing up more wages is good but we still need cash to bring in a replacement.

 

[Gottabekiddingme]

AS reporter Man-u Sainz, who's close to Jorge Mendes:

"Cristiano's agent is doing everything in his power to find a way out for Cristiano. Cristiano does not want to lose another year of his career. If Lewandowski leaves, Bayern will choose a big name. They will choose the best striker to score goals, and this player is CR7".

"Roma is an inferior option if Bayern and Chelsea don't work out. They also don't have CL football. A big disadvantage is Ronaldo and Mourinho ending on a bad note in Real Madrid".

 

[Huddsred]

Ronaldo wants out:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.da...do-requested-Manchester-United-let-LEAVE.html

Fine, let him leave. No point having a player around that doesn't want to be here.

 

[Flexdegea]

Ronaldo wants out:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.da...do-requested-Manchester-United-let-LEAVE.html

Fine, let him leave. No point having a player around that doesn't want to be here.

Is this legit?


Can already see it dominating the new cycle now everyone getting their digs in against the club as still is disarray etc,

But prob be a blessing in disguise for Hag in the long run. Not have to deal with the constant more likely made up stories surrounding Ronaldo.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Don’t blame him. The club is a total mess, nobody has a clue what they’re doing. The fact we’ve started pre season and don’t even look remotely like sorting the problem areas in our squad tells you all you need to know. He’s used to high standards of operating and he’s at club which operates like a chicken shop. Clubs going nowhere but downhill and at 38 he knows he can’t spend the last few years of his career at a club of chumps.

 

[Flexdegea]

Don’t blame him. The club is a total mess, nobody has a clue what they’re doing. The fact we’ve started pre season and don’t even look remotely like sorting the problem areas in our squad tells you all you need to know. He’s used to high standards of operating and he’s at club which operates like a chicken shop. Clubs going nowhere but downhill and at 38 he knows he can’t spend the last few years of his career at a club of chumps.

They even quickler now

 

[Huddsred]

Is this legit?


Can already see it dominating the new cycle now everyone getting their digs in against the club as still is disarray etc,

But prob be a blessing in disguise for Hag in the long run. Not have to deal with the constant more likely made up stories surrounding Ronaldo.

Appears so. And yes, as long as we can bring someone in to replace him. Suddenly a striker becomes a priority too.

 

[Red Royal]

Changed by vote to he will leave. Would like him here but seems he wants out and he often gets what he wants. Time to get the old band together of Rasfhord, Martial and Green. Er Sancho and have dynamic pace as our weapon. With Garnacho and Elanga that may be enough.

Just need to ensure we get best deal possible no low ass deals and supporting his wage.

 

[VP89]

I don't know if I am being harsh but hed piss me off if he would consider a PL club. Ten Hag is a very good coach, we look like making 4-5 strong signings.

He shouldn't tarnish his PL legacy for another CL punt in my opinion.

 

[VP89]

Don’t blame him. The club is a total mess, nobody has a clue what they’re doing. The fact we’ve started pre season and don’t even look remotely like sorting the problem areas in our squad tells you all you need to know. He’s used to high standards of operating and he’s at club which operates like a chicken shop. Clubs going nowhere but downhill and at 38 he knows he can’t spend the last few years of his career at a club of chumps.

Have you been under a rock for the last few weeks?

 

[phelans shorts]

I don't know if I am being harsh but hed piss me off if he would consider a PL club. Ten Hag is a very good coach, we look like making 4-5 strong signings.

He shouldn't tarnish his PL legacy for another CL punt in my opinion.

As if he cares, he’s only ever cared about a single person.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Don’t blame him. The club is a total mess, nobody has a clue what they’re doing. The fact we’ve started pre season and don’t even look remotely like sorting the problem areas in our squad tells you all you need to know. He’s used to high standards of operating and he’s at club which operates like a chicken shop. Clubs going nowhere but downhill and at 38 he knows he can’t spend the last few years of his career at a club of chumps.

Yeah, I basically agree with this. Though I think it’s also better for Utd if he moves on.

He’s a living legend and shouldn’t be spending his last years as a player in the EL.

He came to Utd and delivered and since finishing the worse PL season ever, the club has done literally nothing while City, Liverpool and Spurs have strengthened massively.

Ronaldo is a winner, and having his standards at Utd doesn’t help the club because it’s a complete mismatch.

I think he’s been let down by the club after delivering what he was asked to.

Also think Ten Hag’s football isn’t really suited to Ronaldo.

 

[Rampant Red Rodriguez]

Sounds like his agent offered him to Juventus.

I'd be amazed if he went back there.

Impossible to see him there because they are trying to offload all their big earners lool

 

[Leftback99]

I don't know if I am being harsh but hed piss me off if he would consider a PL club. Ten Hag is a very good coach, we look like making 4-5 strong signings.

He shouldn't tarnish his PL legacy for another CL punt in my opinion.

He doesn't care. He was going to join City!

4-5 signings are only going to get us into a battle for top 4 at best and he thinks he's too good for that.

 

[VP89]

Yeah, I basically agree with this. Though I think it’s also better for Utd if he moves on.

He’s a living legend and shouldn’t be spending his last years as a player in the EL.

He came to Utd and delivered and since finishing the worse PL season ever, the club has done literally nothing while City, Liverpool and Spurs have strengthened massively.

Ronaldo is a winner, and having his standards at Utd doesn’t help the club because it’s a complete mismatch.

I think he’s been let down by the club after delivering what he was asked to.

Also think Ten Hag’s football isn’t really suited to Ronaldo.

Jesus the "were not good enough narrative" just needs to die a quick death.

We have a very good coach now, we have a better structure and are on the cusp of 3-4 very exciting transfers. Lots of toxic players got the boot and as it stands, the only thing separating us from say, Chelsea is CL football.

 

[VP89]

He doesn't care. He was going to join City!

4-5 signings are only going to get us into a battle for top 4 at best and he thinks he's too good for that.

No one is likely getting closer to Liverpool and City anyway, so his idea better be to feck off abroad in that case.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Jesus the "were not good enough narrative" just needs to die a quick death.

We have a very good coach now, we have a better structure and are on the cusp of 3-4 very exciting transfers. Lots of toxic players got the boot and as it stands, the only thing separating us from say, Chelsea is CL football.

You say that like it’s a small deal.

Ronaldo deserves to be in the CL - he showed that last season.

I think Utd have a bright coach and could well turn a corner, but they’ve done feck all while Liverpool, City and Spuds strengthened massively.

Also, Ronaldo will know what’s going on at the club better than a fan does, he’s a winner and wants out.

He did his part last season, he’s got a few years left of playing at the top, why should he spend that precious time dicking about in the EL?

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

He should never have come back, he’s only got himself to blame.

 

[AndySmith1990]

Yeah, I basically agree with this. Though I think it’s also better for Utd if he moves on.

He’s a living legend and shouldn’t be spending his last years as a player in the EL.

He came to Utd and delivered and since finishing the worse PL season ever, the club has done literally nothing while City, Liverpool and Spurs have strengthened massively.

Ronaldo is a winner, and having his standards at Utd doesn’t help the club because it’s a complete mismatch.

I think he’s been let down by the club after delivering what he was asked to.

Also think Ten Hag’s football isn’t really suited to Ronaldo.

Christ. Pass me the sick bag

You sound more like a Ronaldo supporter than a United supporter

 

[VP89]

You say that like it’s a small deal.

Ronaldo deserves to be in the CL - he showed that last season.

I think Utd have a bright coach and could well turn a corner, but they’ve done feck all while Liverpool, City and Spuds strengthened massively.

Also, Ronaldo will know what’s going on at the club better than a fan does, he’s a winner and wants out.

He did his part last season, he’s got a few years left of playing at the top, why should he spend that precious time dicking about in the EL?

We haven't done feck all. In literally a few days we will likely announce 3, maybe 4 very good signings for fecksake. Saying we've done feck all is just silly.

Bruno deserves CL football, Sancho is a CL quality player, so is Frenkie. It happens. Im fine with him fecking off abroad but if hes asking us to strengthen a top 4 RIVAL then that is the most daft thing in a long while. And even more daft are the people who would back him in that.

He jnew since May hes in Europa, hes left it too late frankly and should keep his head down and be humble.

 

[Acquire Me]

I feel okay about him leaving tbh. Great player and one of the best we ever had. Would not be sad to see him stay if he does that.

That said, he will need to be replaced.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

He doesn't care. He was going to join City!

Really says it all. Posters need to understand that our irrational fandom is nothing like the job it is to most players. We were good, signed him when he was young, he got better & was eyeing a move pretty much immediately.

I’m sure he thinks fondly of the club but he didn’t sign up for what it’s become & he needs to shoulder some responsibility for what’s happened as he never should have come back.