Former Man Utd manager responds to Cristiano Ronaldo's 'never saw him as the boss' remark

Cristiano Ronaldo lashed out at former Manchester United interim coach Ralf Rangnick in his recent interview with talk show host Piers Morgan. While the 37-year-old footballer labelled several notable revelations against the Premier League club and their current manager Erik ten Hag, his comments about Rangnick also became a major highlight of the explosive interview. Rangnick had taken over the reins of United in the latter part of 2021 after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Speaking to Morgan, Ronaldo was critical about the club's decision to rope in Ralf Rangnick in the interim managerial role. “This guy is not even a coach. A big club like Manchester United bringing a sporting director surprised not only me but all the world,” Ronaldo said. The footballer further added that he never saw him as the boss of the club and blamed the club’s structure behind the decision to hire him.

Meanwhile, as per Mirror, a report by Sport Witness reveals the current Austrian national team manager’s reaction to the Portuguese captain’s comments. "I'm the team boss of Austria's national team, it's not my job to judge that. (It's) the job of Manchester United and the sports journalists,” Rangnick said. The German football manager returned with 11 wins, 9 draws, and 9 defeats in 29 games across competitions during his time with Manchester United. 

'You are not even a coach': Cristiano Ronaldo on Ralf Rangnick

During his conversation with Morgan, Ronaldo revealed he addressed all the coaches throughout his career as boss. “Of course, we have to call [him that] because he assumed the job regardless. All the coaches that I had in my career, I call them boss because if they assume the job we have to call in that way. But in the end, deep inside me, I never saw him as the boss because I saw some points [where] I never agreed [with him],” Ronaldo told Morgan, as reported by Sky Sports.

The footballer then suggested that the Premier League club should have brought in a top manager instead of a sporting director after sacking someone like Solskjaer. “Of course [it was ridiculous], you have to be honest. If you are not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? They have not followed the right way to follow the likes of Liverpool or Manchester City,” Ronaldo said. He further claimed the club should look to improve by changing its staff, director, and president.