Cristiano Ronaldo: Man United need 'rebuild' under Ratcliffe - ESPN

Cristiano Ronaldo warned that Manchester United require a total rebuild after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club, and he addressed his acrimonious exit.

With Ratcliffe having acquired a 27.7% stake of United earlier this year, Ronaldo is upbeat about the team's future but warns that returning to the top tier of club football will require patience.

«They [United] need to rebuild everything, in my opinion,» Ronaldo, 39, said.

«This club needs time to rebuild because it's still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that. This is the only way… They're investing in the training ground… So I'm happy because [things are changing]. I believe that the future will be bright.

»They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible. They can do good things, yes, they can win Carabao, yeah, but I mean, Champions League or Europa League or Premier League — difficult, in my opinion. And I wish that I'm wrong, I wish, but [it] will be difficult."

Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia after the exit and has played a significant role with Al Nassr, though he has yet to lift any titles in the Gulf nation.

«I'm not happy the way it all [happened], but in the same way, we cannot control some points of our life sometimes,» Ronaldo said.

«To prove that I'm right or wrong, this is not my issue anymore.»

Ronaldo parted company with the Manchester club by mutual consent following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised the club for failing to invest in the 13 years since he first left Old Trafford.

He said does not regret having rejoined United from Juventus in 2021 even though it didn't work out, and said he only hopes for «the best» despite his