Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a stunning attack on Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag that looks set to end his Old Trafford career.
Ronaldo accused Ten Hag and United’s bosses of trying to force him out of the club, saying he has no respect for the Dutchman and feels “betrayed”.
“I have no respect for him because he shows no respect for me,” Ronaldo said.
“Some people, they don’t want me here — not just the coach but the other two or three guys. Not just this year but last year as well.
“Honestly, I shouldn’t say that. But listen, I don’t care. People should listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed.’
Ronaldo missed United’s final game before the World Cup through illness on Sunday, but the Ten Hag will be glowing that the 37-year-old’s comments will overshadow the 2-1 win at Fulham and Alejandro Garnacho’s injury-time goal.
The United boss believed he had resolved his differences with Ronaldo after the player was dropped and fined for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last month and then leaving before the end of the game.
Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo has sat down for an explosive interview with Piers Morgan
During the interview, he claimed he felt “betrayed” by Manchester United since his return and that he had no respect for current Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag (right)
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was allowed back into the squad after apologizing and was even captained at Aston Villa last week.
But Ronaldo’s breakout makes it almost impossible for him to stay at Old Trafford beyond the January transfer window, leaving United and Ten Hag with no choice but to find him a new club.
His team-mates were said to be deeply disappointed by his comments on Sunday night and see it as a way to force his departure from Old Trafford, which they now believe is inevitable.
In the explosive interview with his friend Piers Morgan on TalkTVRonaldo also criticized the club’s recent progress since he first left in 2009.
He added: “Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no development at the club, zero progress.
Ronaldo has endured a frustrating season that has seen him fall out of favor under the Ten Hag
‘Nothing changed. Not just the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. They stayed on time, which surprised me a lot.
‘I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. But you have some things inside [the club] which does not help to reach the top level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal.’
Ronaldo cited the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager last season as an example of the club’s problems.
“I’d never even heard of him. If you’re not even a manager, how are you going to be the manager of Man United?
And he even had a pop at former team-mate Wayne Rooney, saying: ‘I don’t know why he criticizes me so hard, probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level.
“I’m not going to say I’m better looking than him, which is true!”
United last night declined to comment but sources said they would not allow the interview to take anything away from the win against Fulham.
Ronaldo has hit out at former boss Ralf Rangnick, claiming he didn’t even know who he was
Ronaldo has also hit out at Wayne Rooney following his ex-teammate’s criticism of him
Ronaldo finished as United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions, but the Red Devils only managed to finish sixth in the Premier League.
That led to a change of manager in the summer, with Ten Hag agreeing a long-term contract from Ajax.
Ronaldo and Ten Hag’s relationship has appeared strained since the start of the season after the Portuguese star told United he wanted to leave in July.
Ronaldo didn’t get his move and has started just four league games for the team this term.
He has openly shown his frustration at times, refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last month, as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail, before storming down the tunnel and leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle.
This led to him being banished from the squad for the next game against Chelsea, and despite being welcomed back into the squad since then, Ronaldo has revealed that he has no time for the Ten Hag.
United beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, but are still 11 points behind leaders Arsenal
When Ronaldo returned to United, he first worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but his former team-mate was sacked last November after poor results.
This led to the 13-time Premier League champions appointing an interim manager in Rangnick until the end of the season.
United’s results failed to improve under Rangnick, and Ronaldo has now questioned whether he had the credentials to manage the club in the first place after spending much of the previous decade as sporting director.
After the victory at Fulham, the Red Devils go into the World Cup break in fifth place, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
A title race already appears to be beyond United, and Ronaldo has criticized the club for not kicking on since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. He believes dramatic changes must be made before United can challenge for major silverware again.
– The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left I saw no development at the club. Nothing had changed, Ronaldo admitted when talking about his return to last year after 12 years away from Old Trafford.
‘I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. That’s why I’m coming to Manchester United.
Ronaldo believes United have not improved at all since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013
“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club of this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and unfortunately they are not.
“As Picasso said, you have to destroy it to build it up again (the artist’s exact quote was: ‘Every act of creation is first an act of destruction’). And if they start with me, for me, it’s not a problem.
I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they are always on my side. But if they want to do it differently… they have to change many, many things.’
Ronaldo is now set to go to Qatar with Portugal to play in his fifth World Cup.
United will play a Carabao Cup tie with Burnley and two league games against Nottingham Forest and Wolves when domestic action returns next month before the January transfer window opens.
#Cristiano #Ronaldo #slams #Erik #Ten #Hag #accuses #Man #Utd #letting