Manchester United’s wantaway forward Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to make a humiliating request after Erik ten Hag barred him from the senior dressing room in October. Ronaldo was forced to train away from his team-mates in the wake of his refusal to come on against Tottenham Hotspur.
According to ESPN, the 37-year-old was left upset by Ten Hag’s decision to banish him from the senior squad following United’s 2-0 win against Tottenham. After snubbing the Dutchman’s substitution call in the closing stages, he walked down the tunnel and left Old Trafford before full-time.
Ronaldo was made to train away from the first team for the remainder of the week, and Ten Hag excluded him from the squad that travelled to Chelsea and drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. And the report adds that while he was out of the frame, he had to ask one of the club’s youth players to retrieve his trainers from the dressing room.
After rejoining the group at the start of the following week, Ten Hag handed Ronaldo four successive starts against Sheriff Tiraspol, West Ham United, Real Sociedad and Aston Villa. But the Portugal international struggled to make an impact and missed United’s final two games before the World Cup break due to ‘illness’.
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However, the legitimacy of his absence against Villa in the Carabao Cup and for the Premier League clash at Fulham came into question after the emergence of his explosive interview with Piers Morgan on Sunday. Ronaldo took the opportunity to vent his frustrations about the club and aimed a deep-cutting dig at Ten Hag, claiming he ‘didn’t respect’ the United boss.
He told ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.”
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Ronaldo also accused Ten Hag and ‘two or three’ others of trying to force him away from the Red Devils. “Yes [they are trying to force me out]. Not only the coach but the other two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed. Honestly, I don’t know [if senior figures want me out]. I don’t care. People should hear the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed. Some people don’t want me here, not only this year but last year too.”
It is believed that there is a growing expectation among the United squad that Ronaldo has played his final game for the club. The Red Devils great may have stained his legacy, but he looks set to achieve what he wanted by airing the shocking interview, securing an exit in the coming months.
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