Manchester United say they are taking ‘appropriate steps’ in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in which he accused the club of ‘betraying’ him.
The Old Trafford club issued a statement on Friday morning but declined to say precisely what the measures were and insisted they would not be commenting ‘until the process reaches its conclusion.’
United’s statement read: ‘Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview. We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion.’
Portugal international Ronaldo, 37, has seriously jeopardised his future at United following the no holds barred interview in which he criticised manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s ownership.
Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that United are consulting lawyers on whether his comments constitute a breach of his £500,000-a-week contract.
United’s hierarchy wanted to wait until the full TalkTV interview had been aired – which it was in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday evenings – before deciding whether to take action.
Manchester United say they have taken ‘appropriate steps’ in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in which he accused the club of ‘betraying’ him
Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV continues to cause drama
Ronaldo instigated the interview with Morgan, timed to coincide with the World Cup break when he will be away from United with Portugal for at least three weeks.
The 37-year-old, who returned to United for a second spell in the summer of 2021, accused Ten Hag and executives of trying to force him out the club.
The Dutch coach, who took over this summer, dropped Ronaldo to the bench and has limited his game time, to the irritation of the Portuguese star.
‘I have no respect for him [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me,’ Ronaldo told Morgan.
Ronaldo claimed he feels ‘betrayed’ by United and said he has ‘no respect’ for boss Erik ten Hag
Ronaldo thinks United haven’t evolved at all since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013
‘Some people, they don’t want me here – not only the coach but the other two or three guys. Not only this year, but last year too.
‘Honestly, I shouldn’t say that. But listen, I don’t care. People should listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed.’
In the explosive interview with his friend Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Ronaldo also criticised the club’s last of progress since he first left in 2009.
He added: ‘Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero.
‘Nothing changed. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. They stopped in 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] that don’t help reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal.’
United officials were reportedly baffled by Ronaldo’s comments about the Carrington training ground, which has been refurbished in some areas.
Ronaldo also raised eyebrows behind the scenes at United after claiming the club ‘didn’t believe’ his baby daughter Bella was in hospital suffering from bronchitis – causing him to miss their pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia over the summer.
In his interview, Ronaldo said: ‘I spoke with the directors and president of Manchester United and they kind of didn’t believe that something was going wrong which made me feel bad.
‘They believed it but it’s something that really hurt me because they doubted my words.
‘We had one week in hospital because Bella had big problems and I didn’t go to the pre-season because of that.
‘Because I wasn’t going to leave my family if something happened to do a pre-season because I didn’t think it was fair to leave my family.
‘This is why I didn’t go.’
More to follow.
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