ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
By Dave Fraser
Sir Alex Ferguson was overheard criticising Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for Saturday’s draw with Everton in a chat with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The legendary Old Trafford boss – who led the Red Devils to 13 Premier League titles – was spotted with a host of celebs on Saturday, including Usain Bolt, Patrice Evra and the former UFC star.
And during a chat with Khabib, Ferguson can be heard appearing to hit out at Solskjaer’s decision to ‘rest’ Ronaldo for the game against the high-flying Toffees, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
Giving his thoughts on why United failed to win, Ferguson said: “I think they saw Ronaldo wasn’t playing…”
When Khabib interrupted to say the Portuguese star came on in the second-half, Fergie replied: “I know…
“But you should always start your best players.”
The boss claimed: “Well Wednesday was a big effort, big emotional and physical output so needed to freshen it up.
“Start of this game is very important, got big players coming on too,
we believe it’s a team that can take charge of the game.”
After the game at Old Trafford, some fans demanded ‘Ole Out’ on MUTV following his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench.
And Gabby Agbonlahor slammed Solskjaer, saying sticking Ronaldo on the bench is a ‘sackable offence’.
But Ronaldo was also criticised for his behaviour on Saturday, with Gary Neville furious after the Portuguese ace stormed down the tunnel.
“Is Cristiano upset when he doesn’t play? Yes. Is Cristiano upset when he doesn’t score? Yes. Is Cristiano annoyed as hell when the team don’t win? Of course.
“We know those things. He doesn’t have to prove that.
“He walked off the pitch muttering to himself, which throws the questions up in the air – what’s he saying? Who is he annoyed with?”
Neville continued: “It can only come back to the manager.
“Actions like that – and Cristiano is smart enough to know this – will bring real pressure on the manager, more pressure than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already under.
“I think that is something that just has to be managed in the next couple of months.
“Cristiano is not always going to score, he’s maybe not going to play every single game.
