Gary Neville has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo for storming down the tunnel after Manchester United’s draw with Everton and claimed his reaction put ‘real pressure’ on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo was visibly angry after Man United’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday and stormed down the tunnel alone as soon as the final whistle was blown.
The Portugal legend has enjoyed an impressive start to his second spell at Manchester United – scoring five goals in six matches – but was benched against Everton after starting the midweek Champions League win over Villarreal.
Ronaldo barely featured after being subbed on in the second half, with Andros Townsend cancelling out Anthony Martial’s first-half opener to give Everton a well-deserved point at the Theatre of Dreams.
Neville admitted he was not a fan of Ronaldo’s reaction at full-time and claimed it put even more pressure on under-fire manager Solskjaer, who has faced criticism from fans after the team’s indifferent start to the season.
Speaking on his own podcast, Neville said: ‘I watched the game and I watched him walk off. I can’t say I like it.
‘Is Cristiano upset when he doesn’t play? Yes. If he upset when he doesn’t score? Yes. Is Cristiano annoyed as hell when the team doesn’t win? Of course. We know these things, he doesn’t need to prove that.
‘He walked off the pitch muttering to himself which in some ways throws the questions up in the air. “What’s he saying? Who’s he annoyed with?” And it can only come back to the manager.
‘So I do think actions like that – Ronaldo is smart enough to know – will bring real pressure, more pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
‘It is what it is but I think that has to be managed in the next couple of months. Cristiano won’t always score and can’t play ever single game, but I think if he’s going to walk off like that it’s going to put immense pressure on Ole.
‘There’s no doubt the talk after the game was about the manager.’
Despite the concerns over Solskjaer, Neville says his former team-mate has been an ‘incredible bridge’ for the club following a tricky period in the aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
But Neville believes Solskjaer may have to pull Ronaldo to one side and make it clear to him that public shows of discontent may not be wise or beneficial for the team.
He added: ‘The worst thing that can happen with Ole… he’s been an incredible bridge from, not a dark period for the club, but a period where the club lost its identity and lost its way.
‘There’s no doubt the club lost its way after Fergie left. Ole has returned some of the values back to the club. There’s a group there who do want to play for the club.
‘The signings have been a lot like Manchester United, but I do feel now with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho… they’re recognised world-class talents, and with that comes a pressure to deliver.
‘Ole knows it’s make or break this season. You have to win a trophy with players like that.
‘So he needs to look after himself, be selfish and make sure he manages Cristiano in such a way and has a word with him to say, “look, come on, if you’re going to do that, do it in the changing room because ultimately that does bring extra pressure on me”.
‘I don’t think it would have helped Ole but on the other hand, Cristiano is not a sheep and won’t just follow. He will demonstrate his dislike and his lack of happiness in that situation.’
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