Manchester United players advocate for Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club in January.
According to Manchester Evening News, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s teammates believe he should depart in winter following his interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo has gone public with his concerns at United and one particular comment has all but confirmed his future in Manchester; he insisted he has “no respect” for Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag had won over the majority of the supporters before his appointment at the club. He was the fan-favourite to get the job once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, and he has only furthered his relationship with fans since arriving.
His summer transfers have all been instrumental to the team’s positive run of form, his style of play is refreshing to see after seasons of lacklustre performances, and his no-nonsense attitude has set the precedent in the dressing room at Old Trafford.
On the other hand, Ronaldo’s relationship with supporters has mostly gone stale. His summer antics of publicly seeking a move and leaving a pre-season friendly early was bad enough, but then refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur and exiting the stadium early topped it off. This interview, for many, is now just the icing on the cake of a continuous downward spiral for his reputation this season.
What do the players think of Ronaldo nowadays?
Bruno Fernandes is one player who has grown tired of his fellow Portugal international. The report states that there has been “friction” between the pair for a while, with Fernandes aware of how his form differs with Ronaldo not on the pitch.
A video of the two circulated social media this week of their first meeting since the interview aired. It looked as though Fernandes made a comment to Ronaldo that caused the 37-year-old’s face to drop.
Bruno Fernandes gives Cristiano Ronaldo a frosty reception as Portugal meet for the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/W5rDdMirc8
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 15, 2022
Whilst sources have since confirmed the clip was taken out of context, it bids the question of if there’s more than what meets the eye going on between the players.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes wouldn’t even look at each other during training for Portugal today. 👀🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/KlcZcSxSao
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 15, 2022
Luckhurst also claimed certain members of the squad have “felt cowed by Ronaldo’s presence” and that there was “annoyance that his negativity overshadowed another positive win at Fulham on Sunday”.
The Reds scored a last-gasp equaliser through academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho to seal a crucial three points before the international break, but headlines quickly turned to focus on the absent Ronaldo, who missed the team’s previous two matches through “illness”.
It seems as though the forward’s bridges have burnt with near enough every person at the club. It is in the best interest of all parties to cut ties in January.
