Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that Manchester United's problems are not down to new manager Ruben Amorim, and believes he would be able to fix them if he was the club's owner.
Amorim has lost five of his 10 games in charge of United -- including four of the past five in the Premier League -- and said ahead of the next game against Newcastle United that his job is not safe.
But Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals over two spells at United but has been critical of the club's ownership, among other things in recent years, has said his countryman is not to blame.
"The Premier League it's the most difficult league in the world," Ronaldo, now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, said at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Friday.
"All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the players are strong. Football is different right now. There's no easy games anymore.
"I said this one and a half years 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 he's sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium they will be sick again.
"The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It's much more than that.
"If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust what I think is bad there."
Ronaldo's comments followed him hinting at ownership of a "big club" in the near future.
"I'm not a coach. I'm never going to be a coach, president of the club? No. Maybe owner of the club," he said.
"It will depend on the moment, the right opportunities."
Asked if he had any in mind, Ronaldo cryptically responded: "Not yet. A few, maybe."
But questioned about contact with the Glazers directly, Ronaldo said: "I'm still very young, I have so many plans and dreams ahead.
"But mark my words, I will be owner of a big club. For sure."
Ronaldo left United in 2022 following a public fallout with Erik ten Hag and a TV interview where Ronaldo made a number of explosive claims, including that the owners -- the Glazer family -- "don't care about the club."
Since Ronaldo's exit, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group have assumed control of football operations, while Ten Hag was sacked before the hiring of Amorim. But Ronaldo still feels problems persist.
Asked about Amorim, the Portugal forward was complimentary as he said: "He did a fantastic job in Portugal with my club Sporting. But the Premier League is a different beast, it's a different league, it's the most competitive league in the world.
"I knew it would be tough and they would continue the storm, but the storm will finish and the sun will rise. Fingers crossed things will be good with him and I hope the best for Manchester United because this is a club I still love."
At the awards, Ronaldo was named Best Middle East Player of 2024 after a strong year in Saudi Arabia.