Why Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Man Utd ended in failure — Harry Maguire explains

Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 was heralded as the last dance, but after a respectable first season, the wheels started to fall off.

The Portuguese legend rejoined the Red Devils the season after they secured a second-place finish in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and performed admirably before the Norwegian was sacked.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 24 goals in 38 games across all competitions.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's podcast, United defender Harry Maguire hailed Ronaldo’s individual brilliance despite the club’s poor form.

“I can’t speak a bad word about him,” Maguire said. “It was amazing to have him. Even when he just walked in through the door, it was 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. It just shows how good he is.”

“It was a season where everyone was so frustrated. We couldn’t believe what happened.

"We obviously finished second and third, and then that season we bought Raphael Varane and Cristiano. You’re thinking, ‘here we go, let’s go and win the Premier League now.’ And it just never happened.

"It had nothing to do with Cristiano because, like I said, he was our best player that year by far. The tactics around him just didn’t work.”

Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately left the club in December 2022, after both parties reached a mutual contract termination.