Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson once phoned him to apologise for being critical about leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitutes bench.
Ferguson played a key role in instigating Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford in August 2021, as revealed by the Manchester Evening News at the time, and he was the club's statement signing of what was a busy summer. The Portuguese star hit the ground running upon his return to M16, scoring five goals in his first five matches, including a debut double against Newcastle United.
However, Solskjaer made the decision to name the now-Al-Nassr forward on the bench for a 1-1 draw at home to Everton at the start of October, just days after he had scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner against Villarreal in the Champions League. As a result of United failing to win, Solskjaer was questioned for starting the Portuguese international on the bench.
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Solskjaer, who played under Ferguson for several years at Old Trafford, was, of course, sacked by United towards the end of November 2021, following a run of four defeats in five Premier League matches. Prior to his dismissal, in relation to his decision to bench Ronaldo against Everton, Solskjaer received criticism from Ferguson that was caught on camera and shared on social media.
The Norwegian has now admitted that Ferguson called him to say sorry for being critical, admitting that he is fully aware of the pressures and tough decisions that come with managing the Reds.
"That's the one time Sir Alex has ever apologised to me," Solskjaer said, as quoted by The Athletic. "He was caught on a video saying, 'You should always play your best players,' after Ronaldo started on the bench for one game.
"He (Ferguson) rang me and apologised because he knows how difficult it is. I'm clever enough to stay away. It's difficult enough to be the manager of Manchester United without the ex-managers trying to give you advice."
Ferguson's comments appeared in a video uploaded to Instagram by UFC superstar champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had also attended the draw with Everton. The legendary United boss was surprised at Solskjaer's decision to bench Ronaldo.
Ferguson said: "I also think that when they saw Ronaldo wasn't playing …" Ferguson was then interrupted by Nurmagomedov, who said: "He came on in the second half."
Ferguson seemingly didn't think that was a positive, adding: "I know but you should always start with your best players."
Solskjaer, despite failing to succeed as manager at Old Trafford, did enjoy a lucrative playing career in M16, playing alongside some of the club's most famous faces of all-time. He applied his trade alongside the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, to name just two, and it was a dressing room that was mentally strong, something the Norwegian does not believe is still in existence nowadays.
Solskjaer added: "The lads in that dressing room were absolutely fantastic. Keano was the leader, the one everyone looked up to. David May was the joker, the clown. Gary (Neville) is still the busiest and was the busiest back then as well. Nicky (Butt) and Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) were the entertainers.
"It was just a fantastic dressing room. Winners, who hated losing. They had a few fights, like you should do, after bad games. You had to shake each other up.
"If you do that to the boys now, they will get their dad, or their mum, or their agents… snowflakes. Not many of today's lot would have survived in that dressing room."
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