Cristiano Ronaldo refused to blame Ole Gunnar Solskjaer publicly and there are questions regarding how he would welcome Antonio Conte at Manchester United given his reluctance to press opponents.
The Portuguese star reacted to United’s 5-0 defeat against Liverpool on social media, but pin the blame and the players rather than on the coach.
“Sometimes the result is not the one we fight for. Sometimes the score is not the one we want,” he wrote.
“And this is on us, only on us, because there’s no one else to blame. Our fans were, once again, amazing in their constant support. They deserve better than this, much better, and it’s up to us to deliver. The time is now.”
Conte is considered Manchester United’s No.1 option to replace Solskjaer at Old Trafford, if the Norwegian coach face sacking.
According to multiple reports in Italy, the Red Devils have already opened talks with the former Inter, Juventus and Italy boss, although there isn’t a formal offer on the table and, more importantly, the Red Devils’ board hasn’t yet taken a decision regarding the future of their coach.
One of the questions regarding Conte’s possible arrival at Old Trafford is how Cristiano Ronaldo would adapt to the Italian’s coaching style.
As widely known, Conte wants maximum commitment from his players when it comes to pressing opponents, something that Ronaldo seems reluctant to do.
Ronaldo is one of the best goal-scorers in the history of the game, but he is not always helping his teams defensively.
This is an issue that also emerged during his three-year spell at Juventus and that eventually led to dividing the dressing room at the Allianz Stadium.
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Conte came close to coaching Ronaldo twice in his career.
The first time was in 2018 when Real Madrid sacked Julen Lopetegui in the middle of the season.
The Italian tactician was one of the possible replacements, but apparently, the Real Madrid dressing room was against his appointment.
“We have a great work culture,” said the at-the-time Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.
“When you enter a new environment you can not revolutionise everything, but you have to enter slowly.”
The Italian tactician could have coached Ronaldo also in 2019 when he was one of the candidates to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus.
However, Andrea Agnelli decided against appointing him given that the duo are not on good terms since Conte left Juventus one day into the pre-season of 2014-15. Juventus hired Maurizio Sarri instead and Conte signed with Inter, where he spent two seasons.