Cristiano Ronaldo Unlikely To Play For Manchester United Again

It is highly unlikely that Cristiano Ronaldo will ever play for Manchester United again.

After dominating the news cycle for the last six days by declaring he has “no respect” for his manager Erik ten Hag and how he felt unwanted and “betrayed” by United it is impossible to see him remaining at Old Trafford.

This is what the player wants and the interview he arranged with Piers Morgan for his Talk TV show was an obvious ruse to back United into a corner and force them to sell him in the January transfer window.

Over two spells at United he has made 346 appearances and scored 145 goals, but he will almost certainly not add to that. His appearance in United’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa twelve days ago will be his last.

On Friday United released the following statement: “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.”

These steps will allow Ronaldo to leave when he finishes playing for Portugal at the World Cup, either by selling him, letting him leave on a free transfer, or even terminating his contract. The manner of his departure has not yet been decided.

But there is no way he can remain at the club after his comments undermining Ten Hag. The club will back their manager and dispense with the player.

In the final part of the interview broadcast on Thursday there was no peace offering from the player, but instead it was made very clear that there would have to be a parting of the ways between him and United.

“It’s difficult to tell right now, it’s because my mood is right now to the World Cup,” Ronaldo replied when he was asked about his future at United.

“It’s probably my last World Cup, of course, my fifth World Cup. I don’t know what’s going to happen after the World Cup, but the fans will be always in my heart. And I hope they been in my side, even if [I’m] back, or if I’m not back, or if I stay or whatever. Nobody’s perfect.”

“Episodes in the life we all have is part of the human beings, is part of me to be a human being and father as well. I always will commit mistakes.”

“But I don’t know, it’s hard to tell right now what’s going to happen [after the] World Cup because my focus is for the World Cup, for the Portugal national team.”

“When I arrived at Manchester United, I always be available to help the team to do the good things, to put in the right spots, to compete with the best teams.”

“But it’s hard when they cut your legs and they don’t like you to shine and they don’t listen to your advice. I think I have words to advise to the club because the trophies [I won] individual and collective. I think I can help a lot, but when the infrastructure is not good…”

Ever since Ronaldo’s refusal to come on as a substitute in the 87^th minute against Tottenham at Old Trafford in October his relationship with Ten Hag has been severely damaged, but he did express some degree of regret for that.

“It’s something that I regret to [leave] from the stadium. Probably, or maybe no, I don’t know. It’s difficult to tell you 100% but let’s say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach. Not allowed for me, a coach to put me in three minutes in a game. Sorry, I’m not that kind of player. I know what I can give to teams.”

“Don’t tell me that the top players, the guys who want everything, the key players will play three minutes. Come on, this is unacceptable after what they keep saying before, that they respect me, that they do this, they do that.”

“For me it was not respect, this is why I take this decision I regret. I apologised to my team-mates for the situation, I did a [social media] post, I regret to [leave] from the stadium.

“I regret my team-mates know what I felt, and I said to them, [I] apologised, but in the same way, I’m not regret to take the decisions to not come on… The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it’s in that way. He keep saying in the press that he come to me, he like me blah, blah, blah but that it’s only for the press. 100%. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.”