Manchester United have long been accused of living in the past, and their decision to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo last year was perhaps the clearest example of this.
Ronaldo is synonymous with former glories and was an integral part of their last conquest of Europe under Sir Alex Ferguson. A teenage hopeful that had been nurtured into the world's best player while winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and two League Cups.
It made perfect sense for nostalgia junkies, of which former Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was one. Bring back the glory days by re-signing a club legend, and surely the trophies will come. Sadly, it doesn't work quite like that.
Read next: All the fall-out from Ronaldo's chat with Morgan
"Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, I saw no evolution in the club; the progress was zero," Ronaldo stated in his ill-timed interview with Piers Morgan. What Ronaldo doesn't realise is that he is the exact definition of the problem he is describing.
United had no plans to sign the 37-year-old until it emerged that he was close to joining Manchester City. Frightened by the huge PR disaster that would entail, United reacted quickly to hijack the move, totally changing their team ethic overnight to cater for a goal-gluttonous superstar who contradicted everything they had been trying to build.
The club were foolish to tear up their plans in order to sign Ronaldo, and the veteran forward was just as foolish to jump at the homecoming if his ambitions truly were to try and compete at the very highest level.
United's hopes of a title challenge last season were falsely painted following a second-placed finish the previous campaign, one that was asterisked by the training ground nature of matches that were an unreliable gauge for progress. As soon as crowds returned and hostility became a factor, the team was found out.
"Nothing changed since I left," Ronaldo added in his already infamous interview. "The pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym, even some technology. Even the chefs who I appreciate, lovely people. I thought I would see new technology, infrastructure. I saw things I saw when I was 20."
Surely Ronaldo knew all about this before he joined. United's stagnation has been global news ever since Ferguson retired, and it would have only taken brief background checks to corroborate any concerns with those already at the club.
It not only falls onto Ronaldo's own advisers to evaluate whether or not it really was the right move for him, but surely he could have picked up the phone to compatriots Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot to ask for an honest appraisal of the club if he really did have any concerns.
The reason for that is because he didn't return for United; he returned for Ronaldo. Now that he is out of the team and his ego is not being indulged by the manager who signed him, Ronaldo has shown his true colours as a self-centred solo artist who has no real care for the team around him.
Ronaldo clearly cannot accept his diminished squad role and seems genuinely baffled as to why Erik ten Hag is not in awe of his diminishing presence. The bottom line is that he is not reliable enough for the Dutchman's plans, and even when he has been backed this season, he has yet to deliver a commanding performance on the pitch.
What's more, while he was correct to point out the lack of investment in infrastructure between his spells at the club, United are actually trying to address that right now.
They made 'interim modifications' to their long-term renovation plans after Ronaldo raised concerns about the swimming pool and sauna facilities following his arrival, and the club also brought forward plans to build a new £200,000 briefing room after a request from Ten Hag.
Since then, the club has completely renovated the swimming pool area with ice baths, steam rooms, a new jacuzzi, and new tiling to bring it up to date, and they are also considering building accommodation at Carrington, which would help with match preparation.
Ronaldo is right that there has been neglect on that side of things, but United now need to be given time to actually implement them, rather than being held accountable for the failings of a previous regime.
United are making the changes that Ronaldo wants. The next step should be getting rid of him.
Related stories:
