Ronaldo shines on Man Utd return: How Solskjaer and his team-mates reacted

Robin Bairner

• 11 Sept 2021 20:54 BST
• 6 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo will not forget his return to Manchester United, with a 4-1 win over Newcastle capped by two goals for the Portugal star.

Ronaldo opened the scoring with a close-range tap-in before grabbing the second after the break. Further strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard later sealed the victory.

It was the story of the weekend in the Premier League, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner returning to Old Trafford in fitting style given what he had managed previously in his career.

Unsurprisingly, it was a performance that was greeted with joy from those around him.

Solskjaer on Ronaldo’s return

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the chorus of praise.

“Of course, everyone when they come into the team they have to introduce themselves, so maybe not everyone knows his name,” Solskjaer laughed. “At least they do now!

“The atmosphere around the club has been electric, the supporters have really enjoyed the last 10 days or so since he signed and there are loads of expectations on the team today and he's delivered.

“He said his name is Cristiano, that's as much as I can say. I didn't want to take him off unless he wanted to come off. He needs minutes, he's had a little pre-season, he's lost a few games for Juventus and Portugal, so we just needed to get 90 minutes into him.

“Cristiano lifts everyone, gets everyone so focused when he's around the place, he puts demands on himself which puts demands on his teammates and demands on us, and that's why he's done so much in his career, he's been so disciplined.

“He's evolved, he's a developed as a player, he's a different type of player to when he left but he's still a ruthless and clinical goalscorer, and he smells the big moments. He scents when there's a goal.”

Man Utd players react

But it was not just the management team that were quick to praise Ronaldo. He also got remarkable support from his team-mates.