What Man Utd REALLY think of Ronaldo’s Piers Morgan interview

Ben Jacobs

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 5 min read

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Manchester United are extremely disappointed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan. They were blindsided by the it. They only found about it a couple of hours before it. The timing of it has irritated senior members of the board.

They’ll be working out a strategy in terms of punishment and also in terms of PR.

From United’s perspective – and there’s two sides to every story- and they’re particularly aggrieved that they’ve come off the back of a 2-1 victory away to Fulham with a last-minute winner from a young player in Alejandro Garnacho, who should, in their eyes, and in the eyes of many fans, be making the back pages.

Instead, it’s all Ronaldo.

And the victory over Tottenham, when he refused to come on and walked away it was all Ronaldo. That was a good win also for Manchester United.

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo: Man Utd issue official response to 'betrayed' interview

’Likely Ronaldo has played his last Man Utd game’

As far as Ronaldo is concerned, he made one or two valid points, particularly around the club failing to evolve since his first spell. But there are two points here: the first is what Ronaldo has to say, the second is how and when he says it.

As far as the former is concerned, after a tumultuous summer, which let’s not forget contained personal tragedy as well, there is now belief, that there is a need to air his truth. But is it necessarily beneficial to Ronaldo to do that in this context and at this time?

I’m sure he thought about it long and hard, and I’m sure his argument will be that heading into a World Cup gives him a little bit of breathing space and time for everything to settle. And it puts out a clear message to suitors that in all likelihood he’s played his last game for Manchester United. So maybe this is also a way of forcing himself out of the club.

MORE: Interviews, disputes, isolation: How Ronaldo left his previous clubs

The paradox based on what he said and that last point, if he wants to force his way out of the club by voicing his grievances now but at the same times says that Erik ten Hag and senior executive members at Manchester United want him out, by that logic, everyone’s on the same page. Ronaldo wants to leave and Man Utd want him out.

If that’s the case, it’s surprising that after all the meetings that a more amicable solution couldn’t be found.

Ronaldo is frustrated with Man Utd but also the ageing process and himself.

All or nothing for Ronaldo

Contrary to some reports that suggest Ronaldo has always had options, my understanding remains that if Man Utd were prepared to let him go - and Ronaldo was prepared to go last summer – there just weren’t viable options out there that ticked the box and could afford him.

Even though Ronaldo said, that if Man Utd want to move on without him, he’s OK with that, the reality is that he feels that, currently, he is still the right person to lead them forwards.

There’s an irony in that. He’s simultaneously accusing Manchester United of being stuck in the past while himself being stuck in the past. If the club is to improve, move on and help a new manager shape his team, and if that manager wants to give a preference to youth, that is all part of a strategy. Any manager who gets the job is fully entitled to do that, and if that means not framing a team around Ronaldo, he might not like it, but he has to put up with that as an employee of Manchester United or find another option.

What he’s done because he believes there have been broken promises, he’s aired his grievances in what the club consider to be an unauthorised fashion, and that is not the right way to force an exit or even leave.

Ultimately, he’s a member of a football club. Anyone who speaks out against their boss and slags off the organisation – even if there were valid points – is in danger of getting a huge punishment.

So it’s all or nothing for Ronaldo in many ways. It might force him out the club, but with acrimony, and because of that, Man Utd could fine him and tell him they won’t let him go, or they could stick him in the reserves and ultimately he’ll struggle even further to find another club. They can play hardball in different ways.