Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

FURIOUS RON VENTS ANGER

- FROM BACK PAGE

retirement in 2013.

zex-united hero Wayne Rooney is jealous of his on-going player career.

Fve-time Ballon d’or winner Ronaldo’s fairytale return to United has turned into a nightmare. And he heads to the World Cup likely to have played his last game for the club after this explosive rant.

He said: “I feel betrayed. And I felt that some people don’t want me here, not only this year but last year too.

“Not only the coach but the other two or three guys there around the club.”

Ronaldo, 37, is also furious that he’s been made a “black sheep” who is blamed for everything that has gone wrong at the club.

Turning his attention to ten Hag, who suspended Ronaldo last month for refusing to come on as a last-minute substitute, he said: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me.

“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”

On ten Hag’s predecesso­r Ralf Ragninck, he said: “If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him.”

Ronaldo was wanted by rivals Manchester City before ex-boss Ferguson intervened. Ronaldo said: “I followed my heart.

“He (Sir Alex) said to me, ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’, and I said, ‘OK, Boss’.”

But Ronaldo admitted he was shocked by the lack of improvemen­ts off the pitch.

In his interview with Piers Morgan, he added: “The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed.

“The people who don’t see that... it’s because they don’t want to see. They are blind.”

Former team-mate and the club’s all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has been among those to have publicly attacked Ronaldo for his attitude.

Ronaldo said: “I don’t know why he criticises me so badly... probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing.”

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