Ex-Man Utd man backs ‘spot on’ Keane in Ronaldo debate with Carra

Joe Williams
Former Man Utd midfielder Roy Keane smiles

Paul Ince thinks Roy Keane was “spot on” about the reasons for Man Utd buying Cristiano Ronaldo, while he disagrees with Jamie Carragher.

Carragher claimed that Man Utd had bought Ronaldo to win the Premier League, whereas Keane insisted that he was signed to win cups and get closer to challenging Chelsea Man City and Liverpool.

The debate came in the wake of the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in which Ronaldo started the match on the substitute’s bench.


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Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick left him on the bench during their spells in charge of the club this season and Ince reckons Carragher was “off the mark” with his comments.

“At the end of the day, if you analyse the United team, it doesn’t matter whether you sign Ronaldo or whether you sign [Erling] Haaland from Dortmund, the issue has always been the midfield area,” Ince told Genting Casino.

“Man United signing Ronaldo wasn’t going to guarantee a Premier League title it was to try and get closer to the teams like City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

“The midfield has always been an issue for me, and still is, and until you get that department right, it doesn’t matter who you’ve got upfront.

“Carragher arguing that buying Ronaldo was to win United the title, is off the mark because we haven’t got every department right. We haven’t got an identity. We haven’t got a system. We haven’t got players playing in the right position.

“I disagree with Carragher. Roy Keane is spot on. Ronaldo is the one who gets teams out of trouble. He’s done it all his life. He did it for Portugal when they won the Euros. That’s what he specialises in. That’s what Messi does. That’s what the great players do.”

Rio Ferdinand also sided with former Man Utd team-mate Keane, insisting that Carragher has no right to talk about winning Premier League titles.

“Carra shouldn’t really be talking about winning leagues – he’s never done it,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel.