Ten Hag breaks Ronaldo silence with blunt response

Robin Bairner

• 7 Dec 2022 12:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has offered a characteristically blunt assessment of Cristiano Ronaldo situation at the club.

Ronaldo was released by Man Utd by “mutual consent” in January after he gave an unsolicited interview to Piers Morgan on Talk TV.

During the 90-minute discussion, the forward savaged the club, claiming that they had “betrayed” him and that senior figures had “disrespected him”.

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s clan hits out at Portugal World Cup ‘humiliation’

Among the men that Ronaldo took aim at was Ten Hag, who had put the 37-year-old on the bench on a regular basis this season but welcomed him back into the fold and even gave him the captaincy after an injury to Anthony Martial.

Ronaldo was ultimately released an now finds himself as a free agent searching for a club.

MORE: Ronaldo 2: Same Man Utd movie, different location

For Ten Hag, meanwhile, the Portugal international is someone in the past.

Speaking to the media for the first time since Ronaldo was exiled from the club, he said: “He’s gone and it’s the past. We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future.”

United are likely to seek another centre-forward option in January as they attempt to bolster their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

What now for Ronaldo

Ronaldo has been tentatively linked with a potential move to Premier League giants Chelsea or Arsenal after the World Cup.

But while these big-ticket options are being discussed, a move to the Saudi Pro League, where Al-Nassr are reportedly offering the player €500 million over the course of two-and-a-half years looks a likelier option for the player.

Ronaldo broke his silence on the possibility of such a transfer following Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the World Cup on Tuesday, dismissing the possibility.

A greater talking point after that fixture, though, was Ronaldo’s attitude towards the team after he was named on the bench, which bore an eery resemblance to the one he showed in his final days at Man Utd.