Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo says he felt “betrayed” by the club as he claimed manager Erik ten Hag and other senior executives are trying to force him out of the club in an explosive interview on Sunday.
Since Ten Hag took over as manager of United in May, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a bit-part player on the field.
Last month, Ronaldo was punished for refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham. However, he has been back in the team for the past few weeks and led the Red Devils to a 3-1 loss at Aston Villa last weekend as captain.
The 37-year-old was absent from the squad that defeated Fulham 2-1 on Sunday in United’s last match before a six-week break for the World Cup.
In an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, Ronaldo was asked whether the senior club executives at United were trying to push him out of the club.
“Yes, not only the coach (Ten Hag), but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed,” he said.
“Yes I feel betrayed, and I felt some people don’t want me here, not just this year, but last year too.
“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.
“I think the fans should know the truth.
“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.”
EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo tells Piers Morgan he feels like he’s being forced out of Manchester United in an explosive interview.
90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/nqp4mcXHB0
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022
Ronaldo also revealed that he reportedly tried to engineer a move away from the club before the start of this season, but no agreement could be found with another club.
“The progress was zero Since Sir Alex (Ferguson) left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed,” Ronaldo said.
“He knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be.
“He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that… it’s because they don’t want to see, they are blind.
“After the club sacked Ole, they bring sporting director Ralf Rangnick, which is something nobody understands.
“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.”
“Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero.”
Don’t miss Piers Morgan’s 90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/VextyEu7f9
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022
Photo by PA/PETER POWELL