Paul Ince slammed Man Utd for choosing ‘selfish’ Ronaldo over Haaland

Paul Ince has questioned why Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo instead of going for Erling Haaland.

Red Devils icon Ronaldo, 37, returned to Old Trafford to much fanfare in a £12.85m move from Juventus in August.

But the Portuguese superstar’s comeback has failed to inspire improvement at Manchester United as Ralf Rangnick’s side continue to endure a nightmare season.

Dortmund sensation Haaland has been a long-term target and United could have landed him last summer if they had broken the bank under now axed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

And with the club now looking to be out of the race to capture the in-demand Norwegian this off-season, Ince is adamant his former club made the wrong decision

Ince said: “When Ole first took the helm the project was about going young but all of a sudden they were bringing in 37-year-olds.

“You think, ‘why didn’t you just go and get Haaland?’ You didn’t need Ronaldo, but it’s just the fact that everyone thought he was going to Man City.

“Everyone thought it was great when he first came and if it wasn’t for Ronaldo, they wouldn’t still be in the Champions League.

“People were saying he would be great for the club, the players and the youngsters.

“We thought that would be the case but the example he is setting, by throwing his toys out of the pram, is a bad one.

“Why would you listen to someone who is prepared to act the way he is?

“As we’ve seen on numerous occasions – running down the tunnel, not clapping fans, sulking – it’s not a good example to set.

“I get the frustration but you’ve got to take that out behind closed doors, not in full view of the fans and cameras”.

Ronaldo bagged 14 goals before the new year but has not scored in his last six games, his longest drought since going seven matches without a goal for United in 2008-09.

He was back in the team after being dropped by Rangnick for Burnley but missed two good chances against Southampton – coming after his missed penalty in the FA Cup versus Middlesbrough.

And Ince added: “He was flying when he started but then he stopped getting the service, started dropping deeper to where he wasn’t a danger to anybody, and then the frustration came.

“He is a selfish player – Ronaldo is about Ronaldo. If he isn’t scoring, he won’t be happy.

“We saw it at Juventus when, after he left, Giorgio Chiellini said they can be a family again.

“It should be about Manchester United and the team but it’s become all about Ronaldo, and now we are seeing the full frustration”.