Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial interview with TV presenter Piers Morgan has taken the football world by storm and although most of his remarks have been negative towards Manchester United, the forward has reserved some praise for three players.
In the interview, Ronaldo has criticised the club and most notably Erik ten Hag, with reports on Wednesday claiming that senior squad members now want him gone amid the fallout from the interview.
It’s increasingly unlikely that Ronaldo will be able to return to the club when the World Cup break is over but his latest comments may hint which players could still be on his side.
“Diogo Dalot is young but very professional,” Ronaldo told Piers Morgan Uncensored, via UtdDistrict, when asked to name players he admires at Old Trafford.
“I have no doubt that he’s going to have longevity in football. A few others like him, probably [Lisandro] Martinez, Casemiro is in his thirties.”
In the latest batch of snippets released from Ronaldo’s long interview with Morgan, the 37-year-old admitted that he was close to joining rivals Manchester City before returning to United last year.
SN’s verdict…
Ten Hag has already sanctioned Ronaldo twice this season and this interview will be seen as the forward’s third and final strike – it’s highly likely that the manager is going to flex his muscles and make an example out of this.
Ten Hag has made it abundantly clear that he only wants players who are pulling in the same direction as the rest of the group and Ronaldo is doing the opposite of that.
His demeanor has been off for several months and if there were people doubting whether he was a negative influence or not, the answers have now been laid out for everyone to see.
I just have no idea, and I’m not sure he does, what he is trying to achieve from doing this interview full-stop but especially having it released precisely before the World Cup, or is it the blatantly obvious of being away from MUFC for a month and burning all bridges and getting jogged on in January?
Either way, for me he has shown his true petulant, selfish, egotistical self. He’s fully tarnished his standing and reputation with MUFC for me. This is a crucial time in MUFC’s season and future, when EtH is building a squad and team and things are actually looking optimistic, Ronaldo should be a positive influence and playing his part, however small as he’s 37 years old, and paying back the fans. But no – cry, whinge, cry – do one CR7!!