In a bombshell interview, Cristiano Ronaldo accused Manchester United of “betrayal” delivering a parting shot at manager Erik Ten Hag and the club before leaving for the FIFA World Cup.
Talking to Piers Morgan, Ronaldo also accused the club of forcing him out of the club. Asked if the club was guilty of it he said:
“Yes, not only the coach (Ten Hag) but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed,”.
“Yes I feel betrayed, and I felt some people don’t want me here, not just this year, but last year too.”
On the subject of new manager Erik Ten Hag, Ronaldo said he had no respect for his manager.
“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t respect me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”
Ten Hag has stood fast in his decision of dropping Ronaldo from the matchday squad against Chelsea after the striker refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham the week prior.
The club evidently backed their manager giving him full support to treat his squad the way he saw fit.
“I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United.”
“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not, unfortunately.”
“The progress was zero Since Sir Alex (Ferguson) left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed,” Ronaldo said.
The 37-year-old was also unappreciative of United hiring Ralf Rangnick last season after parting ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“After the club sacked Ole, they bring sporting director Ralf Rangnick, which is something nobody understands,” Ronaldo said.
“This guy, he is not even a coach. A big club like Manchester United brings a sporting director surprised not only me but all the world.”
Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United from Juventus for a second spell at Old Trafford in August 2021 on a two-year deal but has seen his role diminish and the club fail to keep up with Premier League rivals leading to his “betrayal” comments.
He will lead Portugal at the coming World Cup but is expected to be moved on in January.
