Manchester United claim they have ‘initiated appropriate steps’ to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo after his controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
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It’s believed that United are furious with the comments made by Ronaldo, who took aim at Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family and accused them of becoming stagnant since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.
United are considering the option of terminating Ronaldo’s contract, which is worth the excess of £500,000 per week and still has seven months left to run.
Ronaldo has been suspended by United this campaign after he returned to the dressing room in the final stages of the 2-0 victory over Tottenham in October.
During the interview on TalkTV this week, Ronaldo said he felt ‘provoked’ by Ten Hag after the United head coach had asked him to play for the final three minutes of the game.
Having seen Ronaldo’s interview in full after snippets were drip-fed on social media last Sunday, the Red Devils have now confirmed they are taking action against the 37-year-old.
A statement released by Manchester United on Friday 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.’
Speaking about his relationship with Erik Ten Hag, Ronaldo said: ‘I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. ‘If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.’
It’s reported that Ten Hag is now ready for Ronaldo to leave the club in the January transfer window.
Ronaldo also accused United of failing to improve behind the scenes and slammed the club’s decision to appoint Ralf Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s temporary replacement last campaign.
‘I don’t know what’s going on. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I have seen not evolution in the club. The progress was zero,’ Ronaldo said.
‘For example, an interesting point is how a club like Manchester United sacked Ole, they bring in a sporting director Ralf Rangnick which is something nobody understands. This guy is not even a coach.
‘A big club like Manchester United bringing in a sporting director surprised not only me but all the world.
‘Nothing changes. Not only the jacuzzi, the pool, even the gym. Even some points of technology, the kitchen, the chefs – who I appreciate, lovely people! They stop in time which surprised me a lot.
‘I thought I would see different things, technology, infrastructure. Unfortunately, we see many things I’m used to seeing when I’m 21, 22, 23. It surprised me a lot.’
