Manchester United have responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s accusation that he was forced out of the club by highlighting the “togetherness” that is being built under Erik ten Hag, their manager.
In a Talk TV interview to be broadcast later this week, previewed by a newspaper article from his interviewer, Piers Morgan, and amid a litany of complaints about the club he returned to in the summer of 2021, Ronaldo slammed Ten Hag, saying of the current Manchester United manager: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show me respect.”
United’s response on Monday to Ronaldo’s revelations from Sunday night was to release a three-sentence statement. “Manchester United notes media coverage of Cristiano Ronaldo interview,” it read. “The club will consider your response once all the facts have been established.
“Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and building on the momentum, belief and togetherness that is being built between the players, the manager, the staff and the fans.”
United sealed the World Cup break by beating Fulham 2-1 with a last-minute goal from Alejandro Garnacho, a game Ronaldo missed as he won the Carabao Cup in midweek against Aston Villa, his absence due to “illness”. He is set to lead Portugal in Qatar in what will likely be his last World Cup.
‘I felt betrayed’: Cristiano Ronaldo claims he was kicked out of Manchester United – video
Having failed to move in the summer, failing to find his way into the Champions League rung he still considers his natural habitat, Ronaldo stayed but has failed to prove his worth. Ten Hag favors a high-pressure style that does not favor the 37-year-old. Ronaldo was a late arrival to United’s pre-season. She told Morgan she stayed in Portugal to care for her three-month-old daughter, who was hospitalized in July. He accused the club’s hierarchy of a lack of empathy, having lost his daughter’s twin brother, who died in childbirth.
Ten Hag’s side are in fifth place, having bounced back from their poor start, while Ronaldo has contributed just one goal in the Premier League. He was top scorer last season with 24 goals, but his interview with Morgan included criticism of Ralf Rangnick, who was interim manager last season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “If you’re not even a manager, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United?” he said in German. “I hadn’t even heard of him.”
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Ronaldo suggested that certain unnamed senior figures at the club wanted him out last season. He also highlighted the lack of development since he left United in 2009 and the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013: “He knows better than anyone that the club is not on the path they deserve,” he said of Ferguson.
The two-part interview sees Ronaldo hit back at former team-mate Wayne Rooney over perceived criticism, including the club’s record goalscorer among his traitors. “Probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level,” said Ronaldo, whose last game for United now looks set to be the 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on November 6 .