Cristiano Ronaldo may regret deciding to move back to Manchester United, according to former Netherlands and Milan legend Ruud Gullit, who also accused the club of "living in the past".
Ronaldo returned to United in 2021 from Juventus, scoring 24 goals in 38 games in all competitions for the Red Devils.
However, despite the presence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, United did not win a trophy, being eliminated from the Champions League last 16 by Atletico Madrid and finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Ronaldo has reportedly expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford due to a lack of Champions League football, but United have not shown any sign of allowing the Portugal international to move.
Speaking to Laureus, Gullit stated his belief that the 37-year-old will be eager to show his best at the World Cup in Qatar later this year, but that he might be regretting his decision to go back to United.
"Ronaldo with Portugal, can he still do it?... I think he is eager to show the world how good he is," Gullit said. "That's my feeling. This guy has unbelievable mental strength.
"He doesn't say it, but I think he regrets the fact that he came back to Man United because of the team that was there. I think he hoped that it was better, so he wants to show everybody who criticised him what he's worth. I think he's on a mission.
Gullit also had words of advice for Erik ten Hag. His fellow Dutchman took over as manager of United at the end of last season, and did not get off to the best start as his new team lost 2-1 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening game of the Premier League campaign last week.
"Ten Hag, I think he is a good coach, but if you come with a Dutch mentality only to come to England, it's difficult," he said. "You have to adapt yourself, you have to understand that you don't win games only with football, you need power as well. You need power, you need technique. You need stamina and the right mentality.
"That's why we love the Premier League. There is no easy games, and that is what you need to understand."
Gullit - who himself managed Chelsea and Newcastle United during his days in the Premier League - also accused United of "living in the past", adding: "I think that there's a lot of problems at Man United.
"I think they live too much in the past," he said. "They talk about the 90s team too much. That's the past.
"If you see teams that played football that [United] now want to play, but are too late. [Manchester City manager] Pep Guardiola did it, [Liverpool manager Jurgen] Klopp did it, [Chelsea manager Thomas] Tuchel did it. And [United] were hanging in the past, [Louis] Van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho as well. Great coaches, but there's a new era. There is a new way of playing, and that's the reason why they stood behind.
"I think they also they sacked Mourinho too early [in 2018]. I think because he still had a trophy when he was there with players that were not that good.
"The thing is also, nowadays, players want to go to different teams. They want to go to Liverpool, they want to go to City, they want to go to Chelsea. [United] are not the main team any more in England, as they were with [Sir Alex] Ferguson. That's the past.
"So you need to change your mentality a little bit and it will take some time.
"Plus, they have five ex-players who every day talk about Manchester United. It's difficult, and the only way you can overcome that is to win. And if you don't, every day, you're going to see the newspapers, the first five, six articles all about Man United, every day. It's difficult."
Gullit also took time to praise the work of former Milan striker, Ukraine international and Laureus Ambassador Andriy Shevchenko, who has been working with Laureus to help refugee programmes in Eastern Europe following the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"It's incredibly difficult for me to imagine what Andriy Shevchenko and his family have gone through over the past six months. I was delighted to see Andriy visiting a refugee project in Warsaw, which is helping Ukrainians to rebuild their lives away from the horrors of war," he said.
"Nelson Mandela, a man I have a huge amount of respect for and a man I dedicated my Ballon d'Or to in 1987, spoke at the first Laureus Awards and said 'Sport can create hope where once there was only despair'.
"Watching footage from Andriy's visit with Laureus Sport for Good in Warsaw reminded me of Mandela's words, but also of the incredible power sport can have to change lives. What Andriy and Laureus are doing to make a difference shows the power of sport around the world."
Ten Hag level-headed despite Man Utd's 'perfect night' in EFL Cup
Erik ten Hag was not getting carried away after another positive Manchester United result on a "perfect night" in the EFL Cup.
United were reeling after a 3-0 humbling at home to rivals Liverpool prior to the international break, but they bounced back by beating Southampton by the same scoreline on Saturday.
And Ten Hag's side then swept aside Barnsley on Tuesday for the biggest win of his United tenure, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen each scoring twice in a 7-0 triumph.
It appears United's fortunes have changed, but their manager will not rush to make judgement.
"I was not devastated after Liverpool; I'm not now celebrating," Ten Hag told the media afterwards.
"We are on a journey, and we will see where we are in May, because then we have to be good and we have to be at our best. In the meantime, we have to progress the team."
Of the Barnsley match, though, he said: "For me and for the team, it's the perfect night.
"We did everything we planned to do; we win, next round, scored lots of great goals, entertained the fans, we worked on our game model. So, yeah, we are happy."
Rashford's goals were an obvious highlight, adding to his first of the campaign against Southampton as the United forward suddenly looks to have regained his confidence.
"Confidence is a big part of it," Ten Hag added. "It's not everything – there are also other parts – but confidence is a big part.
"Rashford is a big guy, he's scored so many goals. In the list of United goalscorers, he's at the top of it. So, he's a big guy, but you're as good as your last game, and every time you have to prove it.
"I have seen the biggest guys, the biggest football players when they are not performing, when the strikers are not scoring, and they drop in confidence. It doesn't matter who."
Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley: Rampant Rashford nets twice in EFL Cup rout
Marcus Rashford was on target again with a double as Manchester United demolished third-tier Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup third round.
Rashford had scored his first goal since mid-March in Saturday's Premier League victory at Southampton, after which Erik ten Hag predicted more would follow.
And the United manager was quickly proven right as Rashford grabbed the first and fifth goals on Tuesday, helping to fire the Red Devils into the last 16 of the EFL Cup.
Rashford, who netted in United's final victory over Newcastle United in this competition two seasons ago, appeared full of confidence after 16 minutes as he brought down Alejandro Garnacho's crossfield pass, skipped past Marc Roberts and blasted into the top corner.
The exiled England international was not alone among United's under-fire forwards in enjoying a productive game in front of goal either, with Antony getting his first of the season by winning and converting a penalty.
It was three on the stroke of half-time as Garnacho prodded in after Rashford was tackled in the area, and the excellent Argentina winger scored again shortly after the restart.
Rashford raced onto another Garnacho pass and finished coolly just before the hour mark, before Christian Eriksen added a late brace of his own.
Data Debrief: He shoots, he scores
It was hard to foresee Rashford's three-goal week prior to the Southampton match – primarily because the United number 10 was not shooting, let alone scoring.
Rashford appeared in United's first three Premier League matches of the season without even attempting a shot, but Barnsley's goal was subjected to target practice on Tuesday as his confidence returned.
Those two Rashford goals came from six attempts, including five from inside the box as he thrived in a central striking role after so often toiling on the left wing.
Ronaldo's Al Nassr dismiss head coach Castro
Al Nassr are on the hunt for a new boss after dismissing head coach Luis Castro, the Saudi Pro League side confirmed on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. have struggled through an underwhelming start to the season, winning just one of their opening three league fixtures of the campaign.
The Riyadh club were also defeated in the Saudi Super Cup final 4-1 against champions Al Hilal last month.
Al Nassr have seen enough, swiftly moving to part ways with 63-year-old Castro, who previously took charge of Brazilian Serie A side Botafago.
"Everyone at AlNassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months," the club said in a brief statement on social media.
Castro, a fellow Portugal compatriot to Ronaldo, led the club to lift the Arab Club Champions Cup last year, a competition contested by 37 teams from Asia and Africa.
However, Al Nassr finished second in the league last season, 14 points behind Jorge Jesus' Al Hilal, who were inspired by the goal-scoring exploits of Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Al Nassr drew 1-1 against Al Shorta of Iraq on Monday in the opening game of the AFC Champions League Elite, which proved to be Castro's final match at the helm.
Stefano Pioli, formerly of AC Milan, is one of Al Nassr's preferred replacements according to reports in local Saudi media.
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