In a Talk TV interview to be broadcast later this week, previewing a newspaper article from his interviewer Piers Morgan, and amid a series of complaints about the club returning in the summer of 2021, Ronaldo criticized Ten Haag , saying of the current Manchester United manager: “I don’t respect him because he doesn’t show respect for me.” United’s response on Monday to Ronaldo’s revelations on Sunday night was to issue a three-pronged statement. “Manchester United notes the media coverage of a Cristiano Ronaldo interview,” it read. “The club will consider their response once the full facts have been established. “Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and unity that is being built between the players, manager, staff and fans.” United signed off on their World Cup break by beating Fulham 2-1 with a last-minute goal from Alejandro Garnazzo, a game Ronaldo missed as he was absent in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa due to illness”. He is set to lead Portugal in Qatar in what will likely be his last World Cup. Having failed to move away in the summer, unable to find players in the Champions League echelon he still considers his natural habitat, Ronaldo stayed but was unable to prove his worth. Ten Haag favors a high-pressure style that does not favor the 37-year-old. Ronaldo made a late arrival at United’s pre-season. She said Morgan stayed in Portugal to care for his three-month-old daughter, who was hospitalized in July. He blamed the club’s hierarchy for a lack of empathy after losing his daughter’s twin brother, who died at birth. Ten Hag’s side are fifth, having bounced back from a poor start, while Ronaldo has contributed just one goal in the Premier League. He scored 24 goals last season, but his interview with Morgan included criticism of Ralf Rangnik, the interim manager last season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. “If you’re not even a manager, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United?” he said of the German. “I had never heard of him.” Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. Ronaldo suggested that some, unnamed senior officials at the club wanted him out last season. He also highlighted the lack of development since he first left United in 2009 and the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013: “He knows better than anyone that the club is not on the path it deserves,” he said of Ferguson. In the two-part interview, Ronaldo hits back at former team-mate Wayne Rooney for perceived criticism, including the club’s record goalscorer among his betrayers. “Probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level,” said Ronaldo, whose last game for United now looks likely to be the 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on November 6.
