Former Liverpool winger, John Barnes has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of having had a ‘very negative effect’ on two Manchester United stars during his second spell at Old Trafford.
Manchester United terminated Ronaldo’s contract in November after a series of face-offs with manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo made a surprise return to Manchester United in August 2021 and largely impressed last season, scoring 24 goals in all competitions.
Barnes believes the 37-year-old Portugal captain, Ronaldo, had a ‘very negative effect’ on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho and was one of the reasons the England forwards went ‘backwards’.
Rashford has scored 18 goals in 30 games in all competitions and seven in his last six appearances.
“Rashford will be a fantastic player for Manchester United,” Barnes told BonusCodeBets.
“I would like to see Sancho given an opportunity to revive his career.
“I think Ronaldo had a very negative effect on the players whilst he was there. Just his presence.
“A lot of the players went backwards because of him and the influence he had,” he said.