Ronaldo's Man Utd career looks over
Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive TV interview with Piers Morgan seems certain to end his Manches‐ ter United career.
It is hard to see a way back for the 37‐year‐old forward, who said he does not respect manager Erik ten Hag and feels "betrayed" by the club.
The question now is whether Ronaldo can secure a transfer in January after failing to leave for a Champions League club before the start of the season.
United was already planning for life without him before excerpts from his interview began circulat‐ ing on Sunday night – but that process is likely to be speeded up after his latest public show of dis‐ sent.
Ten Hag already had to censure him for leaving a pre‐season friendly early – and cut him from his squad last month when he re‐ fused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham.
Ronaldo displayed an element of contrition on social media later and held clear‐the‐air talks with Ten Hag before being welcomed back into the fold.
But these fresh comments threaten to be a final strike in terms of the Portugal World Cup forward's relationship with his manager.
"I don't have respect for him be‐ cause he doesn't show respect for me," Ronaldo told the Piers Mor‐ gan Uncensored TV show. "If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you."
Ronaldo also claims there is an attempt to push him out of the club.
That comes despite the five‐time Ballon d'Or winner's own desire to leave earlier in the year.
Ten Hag was reluctant to let him go in pre‐season, not least be‐ cause of a lack of viable replace‐ ments either within his squad or on the market. And that problem remains going into January, when United's pursuit of a new center forward will be further compli‐ cated by the typically inflated prices during the midseason transfer window.
United's recruitment team would prefer to do their business at the end of the season – and Ten Hag was prepared to make Ronaldo part of his plans for the remainder of the campaign even after the incident against Totten‐ ham.
The feeling at United on Sunday night was that Ronaldo's actions would not be allowed to detract from the positivity generated by Alejandro Garnacho's late winner in the 2‐1 victory at Fulham.
Yet the opposite is true – and the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward's off‐field behaviour has too often been an unwelcome dis‐ traction during Ten Hag's four months in charge.
The timing of the interview also ensures it will hang over the club while the Premier League pauses for the World Cup.
Morgan has refused to confirm when it was conducted, which only adds to the impression that it was a premeditated and stage‐ managed attempt to gain maxi‐ mum impact.
"The club will consider its re‐ sponse after the full facts have been established," United said on Monday. "Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the mo‐ mentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff and fans."
That statement, itself, suggest the club's hierarchy was caught by surprise.
The interview could also be in‐ terpreted as a message to poten‐ tial suitors ‐ and Ronaldo will have to hope more come forward than in pre‐season.
His reputed salary of around £500,000‐a‐week ($587,000) rules out the majority of clubs in Europe.