Brandon Williams rubbishes idea that Ronaldo has been a bad influence on Man United dressing room
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Manchester United teammate Brandon Williams has dismissed rumours that there was a dressing room rift upon the Portuguese icon’s return.
When the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made his Old Trafford comeback, excitement was at an all-time high as United fended of Manchester City to secure their former star’s signature.
However, things quickly turned sour and stories of unrest and dressing room rifts broke out, with some claiming Ronaldo was the cause – but Brandon Williams has defended his teammate.
Cristiano Ronaldo, left, has had a ‘massive influence’ on Manchester United’s dressing room, says Brandon Williams, right
Speaking to The Sportsman, Williams said: ‘I wasn’t there when he first came back, but since I’ve come back, he’s been a massive influence.’
One of the rumours that began circulating claimed a Ronaldo-led Portuguese-speaking faction was breaking out at the club – but Williams doesn’t agree.
‘He always talks to me. He makes sure that he doesn’t leave anybody out. He just talks to everybody.’
The United full-back, who spent last season on loan at Norwich City, was also quick to divert the blame from inside the dressing room to the media.
Williams insists Ronaldo ‘talks to everybody’ despite rumours he’s been causing a rift
‘With a club of this size, a lot of stories come out.
‘So the stories that come out when United don’t lose, the papers need stories to bring out to make the league interesting because it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world.’
Man United have bounced back from a disappointing start to their Premier League campaign with four wins on the bounce – including victories over rivals Liverpool and top of the league Arsenal.
Although, Ronaldo has had to play the unfamiliar role of coming on from the bench as new boss Erik ten Hag prefers to explore a more dynamic attack.
With Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and even Christian Eriksen being preferred upfront in previous league outings, it seems the five-time Champions League winner still has a long way to go to get back in the starting XI.
Ronaldo has been asked to come off the bench this season – an unfamiliar role for the veteran