John Barnes savages Cristiano Ronaldo for splitting Man Utd squad and impact on star trio

Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of causing “disunity” and “disharmony” at Old Trafford and of being a player who “does it for himself.”

Ronaldo finished the season as Manchester United's top scorer and his 18 Premier League goals meant he finished third on the Premier League list. But according to John Barnes, United would have been a better team WITHOUT the five-times Ballon D’Or winner.

Barnes, who won two league titles with Liverpool and was twice named Footballer of the Year, said: “He (Ronaldo) causes disunity and disharmony. When the ball does not come to him, he throws his hands up in the air... that’s a great example, isn’t it? The harmony at Manchester United is a problem and who causes that disharmony? He (Ronaldo) walks around as though … ‘it’s the rest of them, I’m doing my job’.

“That’s not what a leader does - that’s what someone who does it for himself does. The fans love him and when things don’t go his way, he’s like … ‘it’s not my fault.’ That is not what a team is all about. So we know Ronaldo has done well for himself but would you rather have no-one scoring 20 goals a season and United finishing higher up?

“I think they would be higher up if they had a better TEAM. If the harmony is better, Ronaldo won’t score the goals but the team would be a better team and would be winning matches.”

United endured a dismal season, scraping sixth place after another loss - this time to Crystal Palace - on the final day. They even scrapped their end-of-season awards at the request of embarrassed players. And Barnes lays some of the blame for the poor form of several individuals at Ronaldo’s door.

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He went on: “He (Ronaldo) detracts