Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has given the reasons behind his strained relations with club boss Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo spoke to Piers Morgan in a 90-minute bombshell interview where he was quizzed on why he does not respect Ten Hag.
The reasons Ronaldo provided all revolved around not starting games and not being treated as a major component in Ten Hag’s plans.
The 37-year-old said, “He [Ten Hag] don’t respect me the way I should deserve. But it is what it is. This is why probably, the game against Tottenham, I left.”
“Okay, you don’t put me against Manchester City because of respect of your career and you want to put me three minutes against Tottenham. It doesn’t make sense.”
“The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it’s in that way. He keep saying in the press that he come to me, he like me blah, blah, blah but that it’s only for the press. 100%.”
Ronaldo indicated that he regretted walking out against Tottenham and had apologized to both the United boss and his teammates.
However, he soon launched another attack on Ten Hag, saying he treated him unfairly compared to other players.
The five-time Ballon D’or winner relayed that despite him leaving early during pre-season along with other players, it was his name that was dragged by the media.
He branded himself in this regard as a “black sheep.”
Ronaldo also opened up on his suspension after the Tottenham win. After his transgressions, he was axed from the Chelsea matchday squad and banished from first-team training.
The Portuguese expressed his deep disappointment at United’s communication during his punishment and added that his three-day ban was excessive.
The former Real Madrid man refused to rule out an exit from Old Trafford as early as January. He urged fans to still side with him and support him, despite his damning allegations against the manager.