Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted Manchester United’s problems are not the fault of new manager Ruben Amorim and believes he could solve them if he were the club’s owner.

Amorim has lost five of his 10 games as United manager – including four of the last five in the Premier League – and said ahead of the next game against Newcastle United that his job was not secure.

But Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals in two games at United but has been critical of the club’s ownership in recent years, said his compatriot was not to blame.

“The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world,” Ronaldo, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, said on Friday at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“All teams are good, all teams are fighting, all teams are running, all players are strong. Football is different at the moment. There are no easy games anymore.”

“I said that a year and a half ago and I will continue to say it: the problem is not the coaches.”

“It’s like an aquarium. If you have the fish inside and it is sick and you take it out, fix the problem and put it back in the tank, it will get sick again.”

“Manchester United’s problem is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that.”

“If I become the owner of the club, I will clarify things and adjust what I think is bad there.”

Ronaldo’s comments followed him, suggesting he will own a “big club” in the near future.

“I’m not a coach. I’ll never be a coach, president of the club? No. Maybe owner of the club,” he said.

“It depends on the moment and the right options.”

Asked if he had any in mind, Ronaldo replied cryptically: “Not yet. Maybe a few.”

But when asked directly about contact with the Glazers, Ronaldo said: “I’m still very young, I have so many plans and dreams in front of me.”

“But mark my words, I will be the owner of a big club. In any case.”

Ronaldo left United in 2022 after a public row with Erik ten Hag and a television interview in which Ronaldo made a number of explosive claims, including that the owners – the Glazer family – “don’t care about the club”.

Since Ronaldo’s departure, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group has taken control of football operations, while Ten Hag was sacked before Amorim was hired. But Ronaldo still feels the problems remain.

When asked about Amorim, the Portuguese striker was full of praise, saying: “He did a fantastic job in Portugal at my club Sporting. But the Premier League is a different beast, a different league, the most competitive league in the world.”

“I knew it would be hard and they would continue the storm, but the storm will end and the sun will rise. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will be fine and I hope the best for Manchester United because that’s a club I still love.”

At the awards ceremony, Ronaldo was named the best Middle East player of 2024 after a strong year in Saudi Arabia.