Louis Saha: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo would love to return to Manchester United’

After publicly wishing his former international teammate Rúben Amorim “all the luck in the world” at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo would “love” to return to Old Trafford, according to club legend Louis Saha. In an exclusive interview with Betfred, Saha also tells us why he doesn’t care about Alejandro Garnacho not celebrating goals, why he believes Ruud van Nistelrooy left Manchester United and how Casemiro was “let down” by Erik ten Hag. Louis starts the interview discussing Rúben Amorim’s first game as Manchester United manager against Ipswich Town on Sunday…

“Every Manchester United fan will be hoping for a victory. It is in his range and the team has shown in the last four games that they’re on a good run, so there’s no reason why Sunday’s game should be any different. There’s no reason why Ruben can’t reproduce the form the team have been showing under Ruud van Nistelrooy over the last four games.

“When it comes to the 3-4-3,  three defenders at the back will give us more options, so I don’t see any problems with the players that we have. Players coming back from injury will also help, so I don’t think there’s any problems at the back.

“In midfield, there’s Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen and Kobbie Mainoo, so the style could differ depending on who plays. The wingers should be able to play in either of those number ten roles behind the striker, when asked to, because there’s no need for style to be so rigid. 

“Alejandro Garnacho has definitely improved. He’s got the quality and stamina to play on the wing. The same applies for Marcus Rashford. The only problem Marcus has at the moment is finding his confidence and that’s a bit of a problem. The pair of them should have no problem with adapting to Amorim’s system and they shouldn’t struggle in any way. They both have way more to offer.

“Mason Mount’s a player that’s struggled for the last two years and I believe it’s good for him to have a new manager and hopefully he can fit into the new system. There’s a lot of positives for any of the players that have struggled in particular recently and it’s an opportunity for them to impress.”

On Alejandro Garnacho’s non-celebration… 

“I can understand both sides of the argument. The player wants to have the support of the fans, but even Cristiano Ronaldo received criticism in his early years at Manchester United. You need to manage your emotions and how you express them on the field. Any human makes mistakes, but Garnacho is currently in the process of improving and I know that Roy Keane was critical of his lack of celebration against Leicester, but that’s because Roy is still a captain. What he’s saying now are the same things he’d be saying if he was still in the squad, so I totally get it, but in the same way, the only way Garnacho can respond is by performing on the pitch and he’s been doing that and contributing with goals, so I don’t care if he celebrates or not.

“It’s still very early on in the season and even though Manchester United have started poorly, they’re still only four points off third place, so we need to remain there and put the other teams fighting for those places under pressure. We need to continue using the momentum that Ruud van Nistelrooy has created and hopefully Rúben can take them to another level. 

“This season’s been tough for a lot of teams, including Manchester City, and I’m convinced that most teams are going to have periods when they struggle, even Liverpool, because it’s the Premier League. Teams like Chelsea who have a lot of good players struggle because that X factor is missing. I believe Manchester United can still do damage with the squad that they have, but they need to prove it week in, week out. 

“Sporting Lisbon were very dangerous in transition under Amorim, and were tactically flexible enough to make tweaks to make them stronger against teams, regardless of whether they were against sides that like to have a lot of possession and teams that don’t. Manchester United now have a manager that plays with a defined system and can provide adaptability during games.

“In recent years, Manchester United have continued to show that they’re capable of reaching finals and I still believe that this squad is good enough and capable enough of doing it again. Winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League is going to be an aim for Rúben Amorim, but getting Manchester United to play consistently well will be as good as a trophy. If Rúben can do this by implementing an identity, then that will build the foundation for this team to win the type of trophies that we want, which is the Premier League title. We want it back and any other trophy Amorim can win in the meantime is a bonus. 

“The main target for the manager is to create that momentum, that belief and that spirit. We saw all of those things in his Sporting Lisbon team.

“I think Ruud van Nistelrooy indicated to Amorim that he’s got the quality to be a manager on a full-time basis, so the decision could be an ego thing. It could have been difficult for Amorim to have such an influential figure in his coaching staff. Manchester United improved under Ruud and if they don’t start well under Amorim, then comparisons could be made.

“The timing of his departure may not have been right because Amorim could have come in and got as much information as he could from Ruud. They could have waited for him to receive an offer from elsewhere before departing and then it could have been an exit that they all agreed upon. 

“The decision may have not even been the manager’s, it could have been a decision that came from INEOS. I don’t know. There’s speculation suggesting that they parted ways with Sir Alex Ferguson, so it’s very strange. 

“Ex-players that love the club want to participate and help Manchester United and that’s what Ruud van Nistelrooy wanted to do. It’s sad to see him leave.

“I think he would be amongst the top candidates for a lot of jobs. He did very well in the interim role for Manchester United and he was also successful at PSV, where he won the Dutch Cup. Any chairman from any club knows that Ruud would have a huge impact on any player that he manages. 

“I know Ruud and I know that he can raise his voice when he’s not happy and he’s got a fantastic footballing brain. He has everything you need to be a good manager and he’s learnt from the best coaches, so if the rumours are true, then Coventry City are making the right move. 

“Ruud wants to learn and enhance his knowledge so one day he can go back to an even bigger club like Manchester United. I wish him all the very best.”

“Luke Shaw’s really struggled with injuries, but when he’s fit and in the team, you can certainly notice the positive difference when he’s playing. Any manager wants a back four, or a back three, that is stable. Manchester United have had a lot of injuries at the back and Erik ten Hag found it very difficult. Whenever they were able to play the same back four for a couple of matches in succession, you could immediately notice the difference. 

“Luke’s a very good player and no other left-back is going to come to Manchester United and easily take his place, but the club needs players that can play and they need players that can provide the same level of quality. Competition is a good thing to have in a squad and it can bring the best out of players.

“Manuel Urgate provides the right energy level that you need and he can challenge the opposition because in recent times we’ve seen our opponent’s midfield completely outpower ours. Manchester United couldn’t win challenges in midfield, but I definitely believe that Ugarte can help resolve that issue. He’s very aggressive and always close to a yellow card, so he will need to educate himself in that regard, but he suits the Premier League. I believe he needs to improve going forward, but I’m hoping they’ve found the right partner for Casemiro in midfield and his confidence can only grow even more with Rúben Amorim coming into the club. 

“I think Casemiro is getting back to his best for Manchester United. You could see how much he was being exposed in Erik ten Hag’s system and ultimately, the tactics were wrong. Casemiro was being asked to do too much and it’s difficult for him to do well without the right players around him. It doesn’t matter how many trophies he’s won, he was going to struggle in that system. I believe he was let down. I’m a big defender of him because he never complains and he’s aware of when he’s not playing well. 

“With the right balance in the midfield and the right positioning, we’re going to see Casemiro playing with a different dimension. He has the right quality and leadership that this Manchester United team needs.

“In terms of potential incomings, I’m a big fan of Alexander Isak. He’s a really good player that’s already adapted to the Premier League. He scores goals, creates chances for his teammates and chances for himself. Manchester United’s strikers currently need to link with other players to perform, where Isak doesn’t as much, so in that sense it would be an improvement. He would provide a lot of guarantees in terms of production, but Newcastle United and Manchester United are competing with each other at the moment, so I can’t realistically see this happening, but hopefully it could.

“I do think Cristiano Ronaldo would love to return to the club in a role where he’s respected. He left the club on somewhat bad terms, so the club’s hierarchy may not want it to happen, but the players and the fans understood what he was trying to say. People can’t say that what he was saying was wrong.

“Cristiano does have a connection with Rúben Amorim, but I don’t believe he would sign him purely because he’s his friend. He wouldn’t sign him just to please him, he would only do it if he believes Cristiano can help. If there was an opportunity to come back, I’m sure Cristiano would love to return and help the club because he will love the challenge. If he has the chance, he will come.”