Ronaldo is holding the Man United dressing room, and urging teammates to support under-fire boss Solskjaer

Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United before the penalty kick against Aston Villa
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United before the penalty kick against Aston Villa - IMAGO / Offside Sports Photography

Cristiano Ronaldo is urging his Manchester United teammates to get behind under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Portuguese is reportedly the one holding the Manchester United dressing room together following the club’s poor run of form that saw them lose 5-0 to Liverpool last Sunday.

The Red Devils are in crisis at the moment, after a run of poor results that have seen them concede nine times in their last two Premier League matches – a 4-2 defeat at Leicester City and the aforementioned 5-0 drubbing at Old Trafford.

And according to the Manchester Evening News, Ronaldo is urging players ‘to not down tools’ and to maintain standards amidst reports that many United players are unhappy with Solskjaer’s tactics and personnel choices.

The 36-year-old knows Solskjaer well, having played alongside him during his first spell at the club before the Norwegian re-signed him over the summer in a £19.7million deal from Juventus.

Despite Ronaldo’s rallying cry, pressure is mounting on Solskjaer as the club are falling behind their rivals under his watch.

Also, according to The Times, there was a clear-the-air meeting between players and management two days after they lost at Leicester.

According to the report, players spoke their minds and were encouraged not to hold back on their opinions on things they were not happy about.

One aspect that a member of the squad was unhappy about was the elevation of Harry Maguire to captain just six months after joining the club.

The England centre back joined from Leicester City in August 2019 in an £80million deal, but by January 2020 he was handed the armband permanently, ahead of the likes of David de Gea and Marcus Rashford, who were longer-serving members at Old Trafford.

Another issue that was discussed during the meeting was the attitude of some United players in training, with another player criticising some of his teammates for a clear lack of motivation in training.

Solskjaer’s tactics and favouritism were also criticised, as another member of the squad asked him why he was reluctant to change a losing team – especially when others were performing well in training.