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Man United await the broadcast of Cristiano Ronaldo’s full interview before making a decision on the wanton star’s future… they want to sack him if they can and hope to avoid paying him off as they don’t want to reward infidelity
Manchester United will wait for Cristiano Ronaldo’s full interview to air before making a decision on his future, but there is a feeling within the club that this situation is much more serious than his previous offenses.
Sportsmail’s Chris Wheeler exclusively revealed on Monday that United are exploring ways to fire Ronaldo after the first clips emerged of his explosive sit-down with Piers Morgan.
In the interview, the second half of which will air on Thursday night, Ronaldo claimed he had been “betrayed” by United, said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag and criticized the club and his teammates.
United’s lawyers are carefully studying Ronaldo’s comments to determine whether they constitute a breach of contract, but will not decide on their next move until they have seen the entire interview.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticized the club with the club in a scathing interview with Piers Morgan
Ronaldo claimed he feels “betrayed” by United and said he has “no respect” for boss Erik ten Hag
But Sportsmail understands that the club believes that this time it will not be enough to fine Ronaldo and apologize to the rowdy star for his actions.
United will sack him next summer or cancel his contract at Old Trafford if they can. They don’t want to pay off Ronaldo because they don’t want to reward infidelity.
They hope a mutual agreement can be reached with the 37-year-old, who told the club he wanted to leave in the summer transfer window.
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford is seen as the least likely scenario and his United teammates are hoping he will be gone before the end of the World Cup.
They believe he has burned all his bridges with the side after his inflammatory comments and feel it would be better if United found a way to relieve Ronaldo while he is at the World Cup with Portugal.
Ronaldo has burned bridges with the Man United team after his explosive interview
The mood at Old Trafford was already one of consternation and frustration after Ronaldo poked fun at the club and manager in clips first aired on Sunday.
That will not have improved after the first episode of the interview aired on Wednesday night, in which he criticized the attitude of United’s young players and said only his Portuguese team-mate Diogo Dalot is destined for a long career at the top.
Their hunger [is different]. I think they have things easier, everything is easy, they don’t suffer – and they don’t care,” said Ronaldo.
“If you tell me what I see at Manchester United, I can probably name Diogo Dalot. He is young, but he is very professional and I have no doubt that he will have a long life in football.
United’s lawyers are reviewing his comments and trying to find reasons for breach of contract
“We’ve got a few more — probably (Lisandro) Martinez — but like Dalot, it’s hard to say.”
Ronaldo’s outspoken views on Ten Hag will be broadcast in part two of the interview on Thursday night, but his teammates believe he betrayed Ten Hag and the club, not the other way around, as he claims.
Raphael Varane was the first United player to talk about Ronaldo on Wednesday, saying: “Obviously it affects us. We follow what is happening. We try to calm the situation down in our own way and not get too involved.
Raphael Varane (right) has admitted United’s squad has been hit by the interview with Ronaldo
“When it’s a star like Cristiano, we try to distance ourselves even more, that is, we don’t just try to change the situation, we are part of a collective.
“What I want is the best for my team, so whatever decision the club makes, we will accept it.”
Ronaldo, who missed United’s last two games through illness, was absent from Portugal’s training session in Lisbon on Wednesday due to a stomach flu and is a doubt for Thursday’s final World Cup warm-up game against Nigeria.