Cristiano Ronaldo has ‘seen something’ in Man United dressing room after Jamie Carragher’s unexpected claim – pundit
Noel Whelan has insisted the rest of the Manchester United squad need to “listen” to Cristiano Ronaldo amid reports of disharmony behind the scenes.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the 37-year-old has “every right” to call his teammates out if he is not happy with what he sees on and off the pitch.
Writing in his column for the Telegraph on Friday (18 February), Jamie Carragher claimed Man United “made a mistake” re-signing Ronaldo and urged the club to let him leave at the end of the season.
The Sky Sports pundit suggested the 37-year-old is a “source of friction” and the cause of a lot of the “noise” surrounding Old Trafford.
The Mirror (18 February) claim Ronaldo is at the heart of a power struggle with Harry Maguire, with the defender feeling undermined by the Portuguese superstar.
However, Whelan insisted Ronaldo’s demands can lift the standards of his teammates.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “This is why you’ve got serial winners in there like Ronaldo.
“He expects to win every game and if people aren’t doing their job, whether they’re young or experienced, he will dig them out.
“When they’ve won and played the game like Ronaldo has, he’s got every right.
“Not everyone’s going to be best friends. It’s just one of those things. Not everyone’s going to like each other at times because everyone’s got a different character.
“If Cristiano Ronaldo’s talking and demanding more, you’ve got to stand up and listen. No one’s won any more in the game than he has or been as consistent.
“He’s one of the top players that football’s ever seen. Not just for the past ten years but ever. You stand up and take notice, whether you’re Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, I don’t care.
“He’s the biggest name, the biggest player and the best player they’ve got at that football club. You stand back and you listen to what Cristiano Ronaldo’s got to say.
“If you don’t like it, tough. If he’s asking for more, you’ve got to give it. He’s obviously seen something in the changing room, on the training ground or in matches that are just not good enough.
“He will do that to himself as well and that’s huge. He’ll be self-critical.”
Ronaldo has scored 15 goals across all competitions for Manchester United this season.
He has missed just four games since returning to Old Trafford.
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