Cristiano Ronaldo slams Erik Ten Hag as he accuses Man Utd of betraying him
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Cristiano Ronaldo has sensationally claimed that Manchester United betrayed him and admitted he has no respect for manager Erik Ten Hag.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made his feelings clear in a 90-minute interview with Piers Morgan, on TalkTV.
Speaking of the club, Ronaldo said he felt let down and that some people have wanted to get rid of him since he returned to Old Trafford in August 2021.
‘I feel betrayed. And I felt that some people don’t want me here, not just this year but also last year,” he said.
Ronaldo finished last season as United’s top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions, but the Red Devils only managed to finish sixth in the Premier League.
This led to a change of manager in the summer and Ten Hag came on a multi-year contract from Ajax.
The relationship between Ronaldo and Ten Hag has seemed tense since the start of the season after the Portuguese star told United in July that he wanted to leave.
Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo has sat down for an explosive interview with Piers Morgan
During the interview, he claimed he had felt ‘betrayed’ by Manchester United since his return and that he had no respect for current Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag (right)
Ronaldo did not get his move and started only four league games for the team this season.
He has occasionally openly shown his frustration, refusing to substitute against Tottenham last month before storming through the tunnel and leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle.
This led to him being banned from the squad for the next game against Chelsea, and despite being welcomed back since then, Ronaldo has revealed he has no time for Ten Hag.
“I have no respect for him because he shows no respect for me,” said Ronaldo when he spoke about Ten Hag.
Ronaldo has had a frustrating season in which he fell out of favor under Ten Hag
“If you don’t respect me, I’ll never respect you.”
When Ronaldo returned to United, he initially worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but his former team-mate was sacked last November after a poor run of results.
This led the 13-time Premier League champions to appoint an interim manager at Ralf Rangnick until the end of the season.
United’s results did not improve under Rangnick, and Ronaldo has now questioned whether he had the credibility to lead the club, having spent much of the previous decade as sporting director.
‘If you’re not even a coach, how do you become the boss of Manchester United? I had never heard of him,” Ronaldo added.
Ronaldo has been criticized in recent days for his behavior by ex-team-mate Wayne Rooney, with his former strike partner labeling his mugs as ‘unacceptable’ this season.
Ronaldo has lashed out at former boss Ralf Rangnick, claiming he didn’t even know who he was
Ronaldo has also lashed out at Wayne Rooney after his ex-team-mate criticized him
Ronaldo hit back at Rooney in his interview with Morgan, hinting that the England top scorer is jealous that he is still playing for a big club.
“I don’t know why he criticizes me so much… probably because he ended his career and I still play at a high level,” Ronaldo continued.
“I’m not going to say I look better than him. What is true…’
Ronaldo missed United’s 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday, with Ten Hag citing an undisclosed illness as the reason for his absence.
After the victory, the Red Devils enter the World Cup break in fifth, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
United beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, but are still 11 points behind leaders Arsenal
A title slump already seems to be over for United, and Ronaldo has criticized the club for not playing further since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. He believes dramatic changes must be made before United can once again compete for major silverware.
“The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I haven’t seen any evolution in the club. Nothing had changed,” Ronaldo admitted when speaking of where he returned to last year after a 12-year absence from Old Trafford.
“I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United.
“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) to reach the highest level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club of this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and those are unfortunately they don’t.
Ronaldo thinks United haven’t evolved at all since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013
“As Picasso said, you have to destroy it to rebuild it (the artist’s exact quote was, ‘Every act of creation is first an act of destruction’). issue.
“I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they are always on my side. But if they want to do it differently… they have to change a lot of things.”
Ronaldo now heads to Qatar with Portugal to play his fifth World Cup.
United will face a Carabao Cup tie with Burnley, and two league games against Nottingham Forest and Wolves, when domestic action returns next month before the January transfer window kicks off.