Manchester United takeover bidder Thomas Zilliacus has backed Erik ten Hag's decision to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the Reds in November.
Ronaldo made headlines worldwide last year when he decided to take part in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV. What followed was a two-part conversation that saw the Portuguese great criticise Ten Hag, the Glazers, the club and former teammates Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney for their perceived lack of support.
Shortly after the interview aired, Ronaldo and United came to terms on his release meaning the star was the only free agent at the Qatar World Cup. Post-tournament, the 38-year-old signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
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Zilliacus, meanwhile, entered the running to buy United last week with a unique bid that would ultimately see him own half of the club while the fans, who pay for stakes in the club, own the other half. Supporters would then be given the opportunity to vote on important club matters via an app.
In an interview with Dutch media outlet NOS, the Finnish businessman was asked for his thoughts on United's manager and he took the chance to praise his handling of the Ronaldo situation. He said: "From what I have seen he is a brilliant manager.
"What he did with Ajax was amazing and what he has done now with Manchester United is equally amazing, because early in the season things didn’t look very good. He had the courage which I really admire, to tell even big established stars like Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘This is me running this and this is what we all need to do.’
"And this led to Ronaldo leaving the club, which seems to have been a good move because the club is doing significantly better without him. Ronaldo is a fantastic player, there is no doubt about it.
"Very often when you have one star, it simply overwhelms the whole scenery. Then the team is not playing the way a team should together.
"I think Ten Hag has understood this and he has done an amazing job and I really do hope that he stays with the club, and if I would be the owner I would most definitely want to see him continue."
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