Ronaldo leaves Manchester United with ‘immediate effect’

Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial second spell at Manchester United is to end with “immediate effect”, the Premier League giants announced Tuesday.

The Portugal forward appeared to be on his way out of Old Trafford following a recent television interview in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for new manager Erik ten Hag.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” said a United statement.

“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.

“Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”

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As well as criticising the Old Trafford hierarchy and ten Hag, the 37-year-old Ronaldo, currently with the Portugal squad at the World Cup, was scathing about the club’s US owners.

Ronaldo said the Glazer family cared far more about the money-making potential of United than results on the pitch.

He even turned on former team-mates Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney, saying “they are not my friends” after recent criticism from the pair.

Ronaldo says row with Man Utd ‘won’t shake’ Portugal team

Ronaldo insisted on Monday that his explosive row with Manchester United would not impact Portugal’s chances at the World Cup as they prepare for their opening match in Qatar with Ghana.

“I have no doubt that this recent episode, that interview, and other episodes with other players that happen sometimes, can sometimes shake the player but won’t shake the team,” Ronaldo said at a press conference at the Portugal camp.

Ronaldo, who is set to start his fifth and likely final World Cup, was suspended for the Premier League club’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last month.

The 37-year-old claimed during the interview that he felt “provoked” into that reaction by Ten Hag and on Monday was unrepentant about giving the interview.

“I don’t have to worry about what others think, I talk when I want to,” he said.

“Everybody in the team knows who I am, what I believe in.”

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Ronaldo said frosty interaction with his team-mate for club and country Bruno Fernandes, along with images of him grabbing Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo by the head, had been being overblown by the media.

“In these final stages of competitions there’s always those type of moments,” said Ronaldo.

“We were just playing around, I have a great relationship with him. I was asking him, because his plane was late, I asked him if he came by boat.

“The same thing happened with Cancelo, he was a bit sad during training and I grabbed him by the neck and told him ‘Come on, you’ve got this’, that’s what I said. And then it became another controversy at your end.

“The whole atmosphere is excellent, it’s bulletproof and iron clad. The next player who comes here, you don’t have to ask about that, don’t talk about me, you don’t have to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo… help them out, ask them about the World Cup.”

Portugal open their Group H campaign against Ghana on Thursday before facing Uruguay and South Korea.

After missing a friendly with a stomach bug last week, Ronaldo says he is in perfect shape to play.

“I feel great, I have recovered my best shape, we’ve had good training sessions, the team and myself, I’m ready to start the World Cup in the best possible way,” Ronaldo added.