Expert: ‘Serious questions need to be asked’ as Man United bow to Cristiano Ronaldo demands
Cristiano Ronaldo is right to demand the highest standards with regards to the infrastructure at Man United.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
The Mirror reported last Saturday (28 May) that Ronaldo, 37, has forced United to install two new swimming pools at United’s Carrington training complex.
It is claimed that the legendary Portuguese striker believes the old main pool and plunge pool had fallen into such a state of disrepair that they were a health hazard.
The aquatics centre has not been refurbished since Ronaldo left for Real Madrid in 2009.
The Red Devils announced in September last year that they would soon upgrade their training facilities, which have fallen behind the industry standard.
But Dinnery insists that United’s number seven had to force the issues is emblematic of a deeper problem at the club .
“At the end of the day, this is Cristiano Ronaldo,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“He is a player who has been there, done that, and won’t accept second best. He expects perfection from himself, and he expects that same level in every aspect of his life.
“To some, it might seem like a relatively trivial or minor issue. But the reality is we are talking about one of the biggest clubs in the world. To have a winning mentality, you need to have a winning environment.
“It’s about creating the best possible conditions for players. It’s about preparing the mindset. The fact that he has even had to flag that up calls into question the mindset of the club.
“Under Sir Alex Ferguson, would this have ever happened? Serious questions need to be asked. This is an insight into what’s going wrong with the club at the moment.”
Ronaldo netted 24 times in 38 appearances in his first season since re-signing for United from Juventus last August.
He is currently away with his national team ahead of the Nations League quadruple-header in June.
In other news, Man United and Newcastle United race to sign Leicester sensation Ben Nelson.